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First water tanker from Greece due in drought-hit Cyprus
2008-06-30
NICOSIA (AFP) - The drought-parched island of Cyprus was awaiting the arrival on Monday of its first shipment of water from Greece to replenish dwindling reserves. A Cypriot shipping firm is to ferry a total of eight million cubic metres (280 million cubic feet) of water from Greece to help ease the holiday island's severe water crisis. But Agriculture Minister Michalis Polynikis warned that the arrival of the water from Greece would meet only half the island's estimated shortfall of 16 million cubic metres by the end of the year. "I don't want the wrong message going out that we've solved the water problem and people can use water regardless, it's quite the opposite," Polynikis told state radio. "The problem remains and we must remain extremely careful," he said, adding that the entire entire water deal was costing the government more than 40 million euros. The first Ocean Tankers ship -- carrying 50,000 cubic metres -- is due to anchor off the south coast port of Limassol late on Monday, chief executive officer Michalis Ioannides. He said six tankers will be involved in ferrying water to Cyprus with the transfer -- totalling 200 shipments -- expected to be completed by November. The first shipment will take two days to be tested for suitability before it can be distributed into the water system. It will be offloaded from the ship via an underwater tube that connects to a specially constructed land pipe channeling the water direct to a distribution centre. Most households on the Mediterranean island, a major tourist destination, have had water supplies reduced by a third to try to tackle the shortage. The government is also looking to put together a long-term strategy to help the island cope better with longer dry spells, including more desalination plants and increased output from the two existing ones. A chronic water shortage has been brought on by a two-year-long drought, hotter than usual weather with temperatures topping 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), and the failure of on-the-spot fines to deter those wasting water. Cyprus's reservoirs are now at just 7.2 percent of capacity or 19,730 cubic metres, a third of the level this time last year.
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