There has to be a unified water policy

Sir,

We refer to the recent controversy about water supply in Paphos. Maybe Paphos town has not suffered water cuts but the Paphos certainly district has.

We Iive in Lofos Tala and our water has been rationed since March 31. We do not have water on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We are forbidden to use the outside water for anything so we are using washing up water to water the garden. We also run off the cold water from the shower into a bucket to flush toilets etc.

We are doing our best to conserve water and the consumption indicted on our latest bill showed a considerable reduction compared to the same period last year.

Even in our relatively small area there is no consistent policy on water supplies, mainly due to the fact that the supplies are controlled by individuals rather than an authoritative body, and as a result some people have irregular supplies and others do not suffer any cuts. 

We also believe our water is the most expensive in Cyprus but we stand to be corrected. Our standing charge is €11.96 and we receive our water bills every two months as opposed to three months, which seems to be the norm. We receive our water from The Holy Monastery of Saint Neophytos.

This is not a complaint about the water cuts, as we appreciate the necessity. We know that most of our friends are trying hard to conserve water and we are sure that many people all over the island are doing the same. What is very frustrating is when you drive around Paphos, seeing individuals hosing their gardens, patios, pavements, even the road, and the local municipality watering their gardens.

Maybe the water should be controlled nationally including all bore holes. People who have bore holes do not seem to think the water shortage applies to them.

All the people of Cyprus need to understand just how serious the water problem is.

Tony and Joyce Smith 

Lofos Tala

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