WATER BILLS for Nicosia will increase at ten per cent starting April 1, to cover the Water Board’s cost of buying water from the Water Development Department at an increased tariff.
Since 2001 the Nicosia Board has been refusing to pay the Water Development Department the €0.77 per cubic metre it charges, and has been paying only the €0.57 per cubic metre it charges the public.
The Nicosia Water Board serves one third of the population of the island.
“The government is taking the Nicosia board to court next week over refusing to buy water at €0.77 per cubic metre of water,” Nicosia Water Board Managing Director Nicos Zambakides said yesterday.
“They were imposing on us a rate €0.77 per cubic metre when our tariff was €0.57 per cubic metre. You cannot buy something for more than what you sell it.”
The Nicosia Water Board has now accepted to start buying water €0.77 per cubic metre and will increase consumer charges by ten cent to help cover the cost of buying the water from the Water Development Department at €0.77.
Nicosia Water Board Chairman, Nicosia District Officer Argyris Papanastasiou said: “The increase in fees by 10 per cent will help to cover the cost of buying water from the Water Development Department is a step in the right direction but does not resolve the accumulated problems for many years and particularly since 1998”.
It’s been a year since water cuts were imposed around the island due to the drought.
Since the beginning of the cuts on March 29 last year, the Nicosia Water Board has managed to save 3.8 million cubic metres of water. But even though there has been higher than normal rainfall over the past two months, the cuts are likely to continue.
“Until we are completely free from depending on rainfall, we believe that the cuts should continue so we can be sure that we will not find ourselves in the same situation as last year,” said, ” Papanastasiou even though the amount of water in the dams is double what it was time last year.
Currently the dams contain 72.2 million cubic metres of water in comparison with 36.6 million cubic metres last year.
Papanastasiou said that even with the output from desalination plants the situation was still tenuous.
“Although we know and understand the suffering of our consumers because of the imposition of the water cuts on domestic consumption, once again we must make an appeal to save every drop of water,” he said.
“It saddens us when we hear about incidents of people using hoses for washing sidewalks and cars. We call on our consumers to avoid wasting water because unfortunately they will have to face the law.”
He said the board was also calling on consumers to check their household piping for leaks and replace them if they are old. “We also advise them to clean and disinfect their tanks,” he said.
Commenting on the Board’s finances, Papanastasiou said they were also affected by the economic crisis. “The Auditor-General confirmed that the board’s financial situation is not due to bad management” Papanastasiou said.
Unfortunately small surpluses which were created to allow the Water Board to address the development projects have decreased from €8.5 million in 1993 to €5.8 million in 2008, he said.
The natural wear and tear of the network was also accelerated due to the water cuts, with damages in pipelines and general damages to the network amounting to €1.7 million last year compared to €200,000 in 1993.
The Nicosia Water Board has scheduled a series of activities to mark World Water Day on March 22, such as campaign to create awareness with the use of witty slogans and posters. The staff of the board will also partake in a blood donation. A water conference will also be held.
