Air of celebration condemned by those who see the tankers as proof of a failed water policy
THE ARRIVAL of water from Greece was celebrated yesterday at Limassol Port with a ceremony that included the religious blessing of the valuable commodity. Meanwhile, others, including the Green Party, have criticised the celebratory climate, highlighting the need for concerted policy measures to deal with the water crisis.
The 200m-long tanker carrying the water arrived in Cyprus at 11pm on Monday and was anchored off the coast of Limassol until 5pm yesterday when it entered Limassol Port. The tanker was welcomed in an official ceremony, which included its blessing with holy water in the presence of Archbishop Chrysostomos II and Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment, Michalis Polynikis.
State Lab chemists went on board to take samples of the water to ascertain its quality and safety. The lab results will be announced within 48 hours, and if positive, the State Lab will give the OK for the water to be unloaded.
Three chemists, who traveled on board the first tanker, have already checked the water and verified its quality. “They said the water is in very good condition,” said Michalis Ioannides, Executive President of Ocean Tankers.
Ioannides confirmed that the next tanker carrying water will sail from Greece on Saturday, giving enough time for the unloading of the first cargo. “Everything is done simultaneously. At Elefsina in Greece the last preparations and chemical analysis of the second tanker are taking place. If these are done and the results are good we will proceed with hyperchlorination and sterilization on the second tanker, but two days must elapse before water is placed in it,” Ioannides said.
The arrival of Greek water has taken place ahead of schedule as Ocean Tankers is under contractual obligation to start bringing water by August 31. “The project has been very difficult and no-one believed it would finish, yet I said from the outset that I’ll bring water to Cyprus by the end of June,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Association for Discourse on the Modernisation of Society (OPEK) has expressed disappointment at the celebratory climate with which Greek water is welcomed, suggesting that the need to import water is an indication of a failed water policy.
“We were surprised to find out through the media of the welcoming and blessing of the water from Greece. OPEK believes that this action cannot be coming from a serious and modern state. The arrival of the tanker carrying drinkable water is proof of the complete failure of water policy and not an excuse for ceremonies,” said the association.
OPEK has suggested that the state compiles a National Water Strategy, taking into consideration the management of water demand and supply. The association has also highlighted the need to centralise authority on water management through the creation of a Unified Water Management Body to avoid the involvement of numerous state departments that may cause confusion.
“The division of authority on water between three relevant ministries (Agriculture, Interior and Health) should end as it causes confusion and a Unified Water Management Body should be created to manage this national wealth,” the OPEK statement said.
The Green Party has also called on the President to honour the pre-election promise of creating a Unified Water Management Body.
