Water cuts make me think twice about Cyprus

Sir,

As a long-term (20+ years) and regular visitor to Cyprus, my commiserations go to everyone living on the island who is having to suffer the current drastic water cuts. It’s tragic that the Cypriot government did not take sufficient action in advance, thus leaving the situation to reach its current crisis stage.

With the island so dependent on tourism (especially from the UK), I fear 2008 could be a disastrous year. My husband and I returned just weeks ago from a wonderful holiday in Cyprus, but our plan to go back again in October is now likely to be scrapped. Over the years we’ve rented a number of privately owned apartments/small villas on the outskirts of Paphos, but the thought of having no water to shower in, or finding the pool empty (or even worse, just a few feet deep, with the water green and stinking) holds no appeal. I’m sure we’re not the only people who will feel this way, and the loss to the Cyprus economy (in terms of the money visitors like us spend on hire cars, in restaurants, in shops, for admissions to various attractions etc) could be massive.

I appreciate that very dry winters have played their part, but I also feel that uncontrolled building in Cyprus has been a major culprit in the current situation. The island now has more concrete than anyone could possibly want – shame on those in power that it also has precious little water.

Katrina Young, London, UK

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.