THE WATER Development Department yesterday defended its decision to increase subsidies for drilling boreholes despite the drought, arguing that using borehole water to supply gardens, swimming pools and toilets saved valuable drinking water.
Paradoxically, however, the Department confirmed that the drying up of underground water reserves and the dangerous infiltration of sea water remained a grave reality in Cyprus and that the problem was exacerbated by boreholes.
“No, the situation with the depletion of underground water reserves has not improved. However, the underground water in urban Nicosia, for example, is contaminated and could not be used for other purposes. So we are using this water for gardens and toilets and thus saving drinking water, which is more expensive, from being used for such purposes,” Kyriakos Kyrou Senior Water Board Plumbing Mechanic told the Cyprus Mail.
The scheme for the state funding for boreholes does not apply to Nicosia only, but to all areas within the Department’s jurisdiction. “Urban centres in general do not have large underground reserves. Such big reserves only exist in Morphou, Akrotiri and the Kokkinohoria,” Kyrou said.
In addition, critics point out that there are alternative methods of supplying gardens and toilets without using potable water.
One such method is ‘grey water recycling’, a system which is also subsidised by the Department. “This water recycling system is basically a mechanism which receives water from basins, showers and the kitchen other than toilet water, and converts it to a good condition where it can be used in the garden, or can be even returned to the toilet,” Kyrou said.
Such systems, however are usually expensive and as Kyrou confirmed, cost between €5,000 and €10,000. A subsidy of €3,000 is available for this system, and in the case of a block of flats the subsidy can reach €7,000.
Kyrou defended its encouragement of more household boreholes on the grounds that such small-scale infrastructures did not pump large amounts of water, and were therefore not straining underground reserves to the degree that other boreholes do.
“I believe that the criticism is directed at the large boreholes and not the small household boreholes. Such units can only pump one or two tonnes of water per day,” Kyrou said.
Contrary to what reason may dictate, licences to drill boreholes are given every year and a large number of new boreholes were dug in 2008, which was a year marked by an acute water crisis causing hardship and inconvenience for those who could not afford their own borehole. In 2008 the drilling of 914 new boreholes was approved by authorities, while in 2007 a total of 906 new boreholes were approved.
These numbers, however, are not representative of the number of boreholes operating on the island, as many illegal and uncontrolled boreholes are allowed to operate without any consequences.
As these units are illegal, authorities cannot check the amount of water they pump. “There are presently many thousands of illegal boreholes operating in Cyprus and admittedly no effort has been made yet to control them. EU legislation obliges us to close them and one day we must face this problem. Perhaps in three, four or five years we will,” Kyrou said.
