Parts of Paphos flooded after Sunday’s storms

Local authorities are dealing with flooding in Paphos following storms that hit the town with a vengeance and caused problems on the roads and to some homes on Sunday, mayor Phedon Phedonos said on Monday.

Phedonos said that some of the main problems were the depth of the drainage systems in the road.
The main problems were noticed on Ellados Avenue, where two basements were flooded, due to the ongoing roadworks.

This resulted in the road turning into a river, he said.

Speaking earlier in the morning to CyBC, Phedonos added that another problem is the depth of the drains that were constructed in Paphos, which are only 1.2m deep.

Phedonos said the problem was that the rain that fell was three times the amount the drain could handle.
Regarding the two basements that were flooded, Phedonos told CNA later that the company needs to repair the damage as they have private insurance.

He said that the rest of the problems were manageable, such as the felling of three trees, the floods and the accumulation of water in two places, one in Kato Paphos and one in a department store.

These problems were caused by “the large concentration of leaves from the trees, branches and so on, which had the effect of blocking the collection of rainwater in the drains for a while and causing overflows, but without harming people and passers-by, despite the fact that the grates were cleaned before.”

Another issue is the construction of houses on old river beds, a problem that has existed for 30 to 40 years.
He said the homes were constructed legally near natural streams and brooks, which does not allow the streams to absorb the water correctly, causing them to overflow.

“This will be a permanent problem as the rain continues and is more intense,” he said.

He added that the situation will need to be examined all over Cyprus, but he was unsure as to how willing the state was to demolish such homes, which have all the correct licencing from the state.

Meanwhile in Limassol, the rain and winds knocked down some powerlines on Sunday.

Speaking from the city that day, Interior Minister Nicos Nouris said that the state authorities were ready to deal with the extreme weather conditions.

“The first concern for us is the local government, which is mandated to clean the drains, the fields, empty plots, the streams, etc., in order to limit the problem,” he said.

He added that due to the illegalities recorded either in buildings or interventions in public spaces, that is where the problems are often recorded.