Nicosia cuts unbilled water to 22%, below national and European averages

Nicosia, Cyprus. Unbilled water in Nicosia has fallen to 22 per cent, compared with averages of 33 per cent across Cyprus and 25 per cent in Europe, district governor Constantinos Yiorkadjis said on Tuesday. He identified water conservation as a major achievement for the district’s local government organisation, EOA.

Water losses and annual savings

Addressing an event celebrating EOA’s two-and-a-half-year milestone, Yiorkadjis explained that unbilled water includes supplies lost through leaks. Given the country’s water scarcity, he said the reduction was probably the organisation’s most important accomplishment.

According to Yiorkadjis, Nicosia represents approximately 40 per cent of national water consumption. He put the annual saving represented by the gap between the district’s rate and the Cyprus average at an estimated 14 million cubic metres.

He also reported that approximately 27 million cubic metres pass through the district’s water networks annually.

Smart meters and supply reserves

Yiorkadjis said EOA was moving ahead with a programme to install 72,000 smart meters, with 1,836 already in operation.

He said four newly built reservoirs had extended water reserves in some parts of Nicosia from 36 hours to 44 hours, giving repair crews more time to work during supply interruptions.

Wastewater recovery works

Yiorkadjis also reported progress towards recovering treated wastewater from the Mia Milia treatment plant in the occupied north.

He said contractors were working within the buffer zone, below observation posts operated by the Turkish military. Their work involved repairing a sewage pipeline that had collapsed approximately 18 months earlier and installing a pipeline to carry water back.