Power cut leads to flood of wasted water

TONS OF WATER went to waste on the streets of Nicosia on Sunday evening due to a power cut and everything is pointing to human negligence.

Two hundred tons of water flooded Athalassa Avenue on Sunday afternoon due to a power cut in the area, because of works carried out by the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC).

The works were scheduled to be carried out from 7am until 1pm and the Nicosia Water Board was aware of this. Because of the power cut, the valve controlling the water flow, which functions automatically, stopped working, causing the water reservoirs to overflow and end up flooding the streets. Waterboard technicians and the director were notified and rushed to the spot to turn off the water supplies, while technicians turned the water feeder to make sure the water went to the consumers in the area and not to the street.

By the time the problem was fixed, plenty of water had been lost and the water formed streams.

From what it seems, the incident could have been avoided if the employees on duty at the time had conducted checks in order to see the water level in the reservoirs since they knew that the valve would stop working because of the power cut.

Nicosia Water Board Director Nicos Zambakides has prepared a report on the incident, which he yesterday handed in to the administrative council. The President of the Nicosia Water Board, Argiris Papanastasiou, said the report would be placed before the council and if anyone is held responsible, the board will investigate, and act accordingly. Michalis Polynikis, the Agriculture Minister, will also be informed.

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