Greek water deal in the offing

By Martin Hellicar

THE GOVERNMENT is closing in on a deal to ship 15 million cubic metres of water from Greece in a last-ditch drought relief measure.

The chief advisor of the Greek water supply department (Eydap), Dionisios Xenos, and Agriculture Minister Costas Themistocleous are to discuss the plan when they meet in Nicosia today.

Themistocleous said yesterday the only possible sticking point for the plan to bring water by tanker from the Megara area of Greece was the transportation cost.

“The critical point, which we will be looking into, is what it would cost for the water to come to Cyprus. Because as far as the water itself is concerned, we are talking of it being provided at cost price,” the minister said.

“We have to see what the (overall) cost would be compared to alternative sources, such as desalination.”

Faced with fast diminishing dam supplies and a protracted drought, the government has already called for tenders to supply the island with two mobile desalination plants or imported water.

The minister shied away from promising that an immediate agreement with Eydap was in the offing, saying only that his meeting with Xenos was the “natural development” after months of talks with the Greek government.

The plan under discussion provides for 15 million cubic metres of water to be shipped to Cyprus per annum.

Themistocleous did not say when the Greek water would arrive if an agreement was finalised with Eydap.

The acting head of the water development department, Christos Markoullis, said the discussions with Eydap did not mean tenders for mobile desalination plats or imported water were no longer in the running.

The government last considered importing water in 1991 – from Crete – but shelved the idea due to costs. But subsequent technological advances and the fact that, unless it rains, water reserves are set to run out by the end of the year, have made shipments an increasingly attractive proposition. The occupied areas are already supplied with water from Turkey by balloon.