This statement was made by an official of the Department of Public Works, essentially blaming the local authorities for the flooding. They responded by explaining that their area of responsibility has not yet been clearly defined.
Piles of debris from the road clogged the drainage holes
The reason for the statements was the flooding of the Polemidia roundabout. Panikos Panayiotou, senior executive engineer of the Department of Public Works, said that the flow of water generated by the rain carried piles of garbage down the drains, which clogged the drains. “Unfortunately, the habit of some residents of throwing garbage on the road creates similar problems. Plastic bags easily block sewer grates,” he said.
Cleaning work is planned for the next month
The Department of Public Works will clear storm drains along the route from the New Hospital Roundabout to the Muttayaki Roundabout.
Work started on November 11 and will last until December 5. They will be held late in the evening and at night, from 20:00 to 06:00, so as not to provoke congestion on the highway.
Who is ultimately responsible for what?
Speaking about the flooding of Marinu Gerulana street in Polemidia, Panayiotou noted: the department took part in the fight against flooding, although this task lies with the municipal authorities. In response, the mayor of Polemidia, Andros Theodorou, said that local authorities had not yet received clear instructions about their powers. He explained that this stretch of road had experienced flooding in the past, so the Department of Public Works typically closed the area to traffic when thunderstorms began and installed pumps to release the water. “This time, apparently, we didn’t have time,” the head of the municipality emphasized.
Landslides have become more frequent
Panikos Panayiotou also stated that landslides in mountainous areas began to occur more often. This is caused by numerous forest fires that destroy trees and vegetation, which serves as a natural strengthening of the soil.
The text was prepared based on materials from the publication “Politis”
Continuing the topic:
Limassol celebrated the completion of a flood control project. It lasted almost six years and required expenses of 16.2 million euros. Read more in our material “Limassol was protected from heavy rains.”
Back in 2019, the country's authorities reported that Limassol would spend 35 million euros on a flood control system. It was assumed that the city would be completely protected from showers and thunderstorms. Read more about the results of the work in our material “Limassol: 35 million euros to combat floods.”
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