Water from the Alakopru Dam in Southern Turkey conveyed to North Cyprus by underwater pipeline, continues to pour into the sea. Ankara says that the system is still being tested but, most believe that it is a method of pressuring the TRNC to give in to Turkey’s wish to privatise water management in the North. Turkey wants to establish a new state water authority for the North which will be privatised in one year’s time.
Purifying and pumping the water costs around 150,000 TL a day. Turkey has no confidence that the existing water authority will collect money from its consumers. It has signally failed to do so to date.
Meanwhile the TRNC government has rejected Ankara’s deal of privatising water distribution in the North, but may soon change its mind. Currently the government is unable to pay civil servants and pensioners their 13th month salary as the financial protocol with Turkey has not yet been signed.
Turkey’s Forestry and Water Affairs Minister Veysel Eroglu has pointed out that renewal of existing distribution pipelines, will require an additional 600 million TL. North Cyprus does not have those kind of funds, it cannot even pay its employees at the moment.
Hurriyet
