Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus officials said new, higher water bill charges described as “punitive” are being prepared for consumers who use excessive amounts of water as the island continues to face a shortage.
Legal review and approval process
Water development department director Iliana Tofa said on Thursday that the new fees are with the legal service for review, after which the government will proceed with the increases. She said the government believes people must understand the need to conserve water.
Nicosia district government general manager Constantinos Parmaklis said earlier on the same CyBC radio programme that he believes the legal service’s review is nearing completion. He said that once the plans are declared legal, they will be sent to the interior ministry for final approval.
Proposed charges and uniform rates
Parmaklis said the increased fees will be levied on consumers who use more than 60 cubic metres of water per day. He said the increase may be up to €10 per cubic metre, adding that the current maximum charge per cubic metre is €5.
He said any new fees will be rolled out across Cyprus, with all five district governments committed to keeping water bill rates uniform.
Warnings over low reserves and possible cuts
The plans follow comments from agriculture ministry permanent secretary Andreas Gregoriou, who warned that the possibility of water cuts is “real” as the island’s water reserves remain low.
Gregoriou said on Wednesday that Cyprus is facing a very difficult year and that such a situation has not arisen before. He said that despite efforts in recent years, including desalination units and other measures to reduce water loss, water use cannot continue in the same way at home and at work.
He added that the government aims to avoid water cuts in the summer, despite projections that the island will have 10 per cent less water available than it is projected to need.
How do you plan to reduce your water use as Cyprus prepares higher charges for heavy consumption?
