The anti-flood measures implemented at 21 locations in the mountainous areas of Limassol, which were devastated by a three-day wildfire in July, have so far withstood seasonal rainfall, Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou said on Friday following an inspection of the works.
Panayiotou said the projects were completed within the set timeframe, by November, and assured that her ministry would proceed with additional interventions if they proved necessary.
The minister visited the affected areas accompanied by the agriculture ministry’s permanent secretary, Andreas Gregoriou, and officials from various departments.
Referring to the anti-flood measures in Souni-Zanakia, Panayiotou said the water development department had swiftly identified 21 points where gabions needed to be installed along a stretch of 120 kilometres.
“At the moment we are completing the inspection of these points, because we want to be sure that they are serving their purpose,” Panayiotou said.
To a comment that it had not rained enough yet to be certain, Panayiotou said “we placed them in time to be ready for any weather phenomenon may arise”.
“The information I have received from the water development department is that they are totally satisfied with the way they worked and that currently no further interventions are necessary, but we are here to make sure that this will continue over the coming days,” she said.
The works were carried out by five contractors and involved around 50 workers, at a cost of approximately €500,000. Local authorities also participated in the effort.
Commenting on limited inflows into reservoirs, Panayiotou said her ministry was pursuing three main pillars to strengthen water supply: conventional water sources, desalination, and network upgrades through projects worth €200 million, alongside efforts to promote water conservation awareness.
She stressed that everyone could contribute to saving water, noting that data showed Cypriots were overconsuming and wasting it.
“We are not asking people to settle for a lower quality of life, or to go without water. We are asking for the average, for the people to turn off the tap for two minutes, because two minutes are all we need to be in a much better situation,” she explained.
Panayiotou also assured that her ministry continued to support farmers affected by the wildfire. Immediate payments have been made to around 1,400 eligible farmers to compensate for one year of lost income, amounting to approximately €3.3 million.
She added that the ministry was now helping farmers restart their businesses. Each farmer has received a prepayment to begin work, followed by further compensation depending on progress.
Souni-Zanakia community leader Nikos Vikis expressed satisfaction with the anti-flood works, noting that residents affected by the fire had received financial support and were rebuilding their homes. He also said notices had been issued for the removal of burned trees from private properties.
The Limassol wildfire, which broke out on July 23, claimed the lives of two elderly people and destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses. More than 775 farms suffered total or partial losses to livestock and crops.
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