Water pipes in Limassol are to be replaced, following the signing of a contract between the district government and a contractor, which, according to the district government, will “upgrade, modernise, and strengthen” the city’s water infrastructure.

The project is worth €9.2 million, with work set to begin next month and be completed by the end of July 2028.

District governor Yiannis Tsouloftas, district government general manager Socrates Metaxas, and An. Christou properties and constructions Ltd director Christos Christou signed the deal, which Tsouloftas said will see “the replacement of the existing outdated water network in the centre of Limassol with a new water distribution network”.

This network, he said, will be “designed with modern concepts” and “constructed from modern materials”, with the area covered extending to around 2.6 square kilometres and serving around 40,000 people in the city’s old centre.

He added that the project will bring about “significant benefits”, including “a reduction in damages and water losses”, which will in time “save resources and reduce the cost of operating and maintaining the network”, as well as “improving the quality of service provision”.

In addition, he said, it will “ensure better quality drinking water” – a point of note given that delegates attending last month’s informal summit of European Union foreign ministers at the city’s port were advised to not drink tap water while in the city.

Limassol mayor Yiannis Armeftis also hailed the contract’s signing, saying that while “we may suffer” due to the extensive nature of the works to replace the pipes, the project “forms the basis for us to be able to build for the future”.

The project has come about after the Limassol district government secured funding through the European Union’s cohesion fund.