Water Department seeks free rein after revealing £50m debts
THE WATER Development Department yesterday asked Parliament for a law amendment that would enable them to increase water costs without needing approval – after announcing that local water boards owed almost £50 million in debts.
“With the pretext of vast debts and the increase of the cost of water, the Water Development Department has come up with a bill requesting the cancellation of a law provision, which says that any change in water duties should first be approved by Parliament,” the Chairman of the House Legal Affairs Committee, DISY’s Ionas Nicolaou, said after the meeting.
The Department’s reasoning, he added, was that because Parliament had previously refused requested increases, debts had mounted up for local water boards.
In total, Limassol Municipality owes over £30 million, Nicosia owes over £12 million and Larnaca over £6 million.
“They requested a law amendment that would allow them to increase duties freely,” said Nicolaou. “In fact, they revealed that one way to deal with the debt would be to double duty prices.”
Deputies unanimously agreed they couldn’t give water boards such free rein and requested more specific data and information.
“We asked to be informed on how these debts mounted up and how they are expecting to bring an equalisation of duties and pay off the debts,” said Nicolaou.
Finally he added: “What we saw today was an attempt by the government to cancel out Parliament’s role in water supply duties.”
The Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, AKEL’s Yiannakis Thoma, was equally concerned with the department’s request.
“It is a matter that needs to be discussed,” he told reporters. “AKEL has serious reservations on Parliament losing control over the cost of water.”
Thoma also voiced his concern over the island’s high percentages of water wastage, reaching 40 per cent. “This is the highest percentage of wastage internationally. The average in the EU is 25 per cent,” he pointed out.
“Our party’s belief is that investments should be made in new water management systems, especially seeing the problems our island faces due to the lack of rain,” Thoma went on.
“But today Parliament is examining why the Water Development Department want no control over them. Parliament will never condone such a thing,” he said.
