FORMER Agriculture Minister Costas Themistocleous has heavily criticised the work of the current government in dealing with the water shortage, claiming they have undone the good work of the previous administration.
Themistocleous, who was Agriculture Minister under the Clerides government, said yesterday that this government was to blame for the fact there was just one working desalination plant at the moment. He also went as far as challenging Minister Photis Photiou to state the measures which were taken under his tenure and not under the previous regime in order to tackle the water shortage.
“Unfortunately, today there is no third desalination plant which should have been in place by 2006 based on the plans made by the Clerides government. Regrettably, as soon as the government came into power, not only did they put the plans for the Limassol desalination plant to bed, but they also closed the Dhekelia desalination plant at totally the wrong time. Therefore we only have one working plant at the moment,” Photiou said.
He added that this was evidence of incompetence in dealing with such an important issue as is the lack of water in Cyprus.
The former Agriculture Minister’s criticism comes as his successor Photiou announced the introduction of measures to combat the water shortage. Photiou said the government would be willing to subsidise the introduction of small household recycling devices and issued a warning to people who continued unnecessarily to waste water.
“We will subsidise to a great extent, about 70 to 80 per cent, the cost for the installation of such devices that clear impure water so that it can be re-used. Also, when water is wasted, the culprits have to be punished as we all have to realise that we cannot waste water, especially during this period. Checks will be carried out and there will be a £50 fine imposed,” he said.
Called to discuss the plans for new desalination plants, Photiou said that these cases were being examined, but they would not provide the short-term solution. “In relation to Limassol, we are ready to discuss the issue in the next meetings of the Cabinet so that we can take the final decisions. However, these plants will function effectively for two and a half to three years,” he added.
The water problem also came up for discussion in the Agriculture Committee in Parliament yesterday, with AKEL condemning the government for not following a clear policy regarding water for farming. AKEL claimed that despite the Institute of Agricultural Research setting specific guidelines for the water quantity each plantation needed, the Water Department supplied farmers with just half of the required amount. The leader of AKEL, the government’s main backers, called on the government either to compensate farmers, or provide them with the necessary quantities of water.
DISY deputy Kyriacos Hadjiyiannis urged the government to “move to the immediate creation of further desalination plants, otherwise we will be washing with bottled water”.
Another issue which came under scrutiny was the amount of money paid by owners of golf courses to water their land. According to leader of the Greens, Giorgos Perdikis, they are only required to pay 14 cents for each ton of water, whereas consumers have to pay up to 60 cents for the equivalent amount.
