A €2.3 million infrastructure project to repair and reinforce a 50-year-old stormwater culvert beneath Digeni Akrita Avenue in Nicosia is set to begin, the Nicosia district government organisation (EOA) announced on Friday.

The contract covers the repair, maintenance and reinforcement of the rectangular culvert carrying the Kotsirkas river, between the junctions of Kallipoleos and Larnakos avenues.

Built around 50 years ago, the structure has suffered corrosion and deterioration over the decades and will now be strengthened using modern reinforced concrete methods.

EOA chairman Constantinos Yiorkadjis said the organisation had identified the condition of the culvert after taking responsibility for stormwater management and prioritised the project, including because of concerns over the safety of vehicles travelling along Digeni Akrita above it.

The €2,259,499 plus VAT contract was awarded to C. Roushas Trading and Development Ltd and is expected to take 28 weeks to complete.

Two-thirds of the cost will be covered by the state, with the remainder funded by the EOA through stormwater fees paid by property owners.

Yiorkadjis said the organisation collects around €2 million annually and aims to use the funds for interventions at key problem areas across Nicosia district.

“Our goal is to carry out interventions at crucial problematic points every year, so that the situation improves and the likelihood of flooding is reduced,” he said.

Yiorkadjis acknowledged that there had been delays, shortcomings and failures in addressing stormwater infrastructure in the past, but said the organisation would focus on tackling existing problems.

He said work in the Archangelos area was expected to follow next year.

Nicosia EOA, Yiorkadjis, Prountzos, Nicosia, waterworks, sewers, drainage, works
Prountzos said that following the latest floods, Nicosia municipality had not simply sought to shift responsibility to the EOA, which is responsible for stormwater management

The EOA is also seeking progress on flood prevention projects that have remained under central government responsibility for decades, he added, including works in Dali, retention ponds in Engomi and Navarinou Avenue.

Prountzos said that following the latest floods, Nicosia municipality had not simply sought to shift responsibility to the EOA, which is responsible for stormwater management.

“Nicosia municipality is represented in the organisation and therefore wants it to succeed in its work,” he said, adding that the municipality and the EOA were working together to find solutions to problems stretching back decades.

Meanwhile the cabinet on Wednesday approved financial assistance for people affected by the extreme weather which struck Cyprus on August 29, with uninsured homeowners eligible for up to €20,000 for structural damage. Most reports so far have come from the Nicosia district, where preliminary figures show damage to 183 homes.

The EOA project will be carried out in phases over 28 weeks. The public will be regularly informed of traffic arrangements during construction, which will be coordinated with police and Nicosia municipality.