Inhabitants in the village of Psimolofou had their water supply cut yesterday after the smell of diesel was detected in their drinking water.
The problem was brought to the attention of the Mukhtar when residents reported a strong smell of diesel in their piped water.
Lakatamia Police, who were called to the village to investigate, discovered that 1,300 litres of the fuel had accidentally leaked into a borehole from which the community drinking water was drawn.
A source at Lakatamia police yesterday ruled out any possibility of foul play.
“It was an accident. The leakage happened when a rubber pipe feeding diesel into a generator split in one place.
“We are not treating the incident as suspicious. There is no evidence that anyone tampered with the pipe. It occurred through normal wear and tear,” he added.
Village Mukhtar Ioannis Lazarides confirmed that water coming from the affected borehole had been cut off until the deposit tank and generator were cleaned thoroughly.
“A clean-up operation is already under way and another borehole will be used in the meantime so that our residents do not go without water.
“It’s an unfortunate incident but it is being dealt with by competent authorities,” he added.
Samples of the contaminated water have been sent to the State Laboratory for testing.
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