For the third time in its history, the Lefkara dam overflowed yesterday,[/B] which is the seventh largest dam in Cyprus with a capacity of 13.85 million cubic metres of water.
In a statement to the Cyprus News Agency, Agathi Hadjipandeli, Senior Executive Engineer of the Water Development Department, said that "the Lefkara Dam is overflowing for the third time in its history".
"The previous times were in 2004 and 2020," he said, noting that "it is one of the largest dams in Cyprus, the seventh in a row, with a capacity of 13.85 million cubic metres of water, while it is ten times bigger than the Xyliatou dam."
He added that this dam "was constructed in 1973 and is one of the first large dams built in the Republic of Cyprus to supply water to the areas of Larnaca and Famagusta".
Over the years and with the construction of the Curris Dam and the South Pipeline, he said, the dam was connected to the entire South Pipeline system and today serves for irrigation a large irrigation area across the dam and for drinking water purposes the Nicosia and Larnaca area, depending on the balance and the way the Water Department manages the water from the South Pipeline dams.
In response to a question, Hajipandeli said that "the dam is stone-built, constructed with a earthen dam, 70 metres high, has a beautiful valley and a wonderful landscape at the dam's lake, and the water coming down from the mountains of Machairas is of very good quality."
"Because of its location and the way the lake is distributed, the Lefkara Dam rarely overflows and it is truly a blessing to have these flows," she noted.
[/P][BR][BR]This year, Hajipandeli said, "we are in a very good situation in terms of water inflow to the dams." "While we started the year with a 50% capacity in the dams, today we are at 75% nationwide," she said, adding that "several of Cyprus' dams are overflowing, but at the same time we have a long way to go to feel comfortable in terms of water."
He sent the message that "water in Cyprus is never enough, but it is needed for people, for agriculture, for nature and the environment and we must always be sparing in our use of it."
For his part, Mayor of Lefkara Sofoklis Sofokleous described "the overflow of the dam as a gift from God, since this year we are going through a fairly good period in terms of rainfall".
"It is well known that our country suffers from a water supply and irrigation problem," he said, noting that "we are pleased to note that until today the rainfall is quite good and some of the dams in Cyprus have already started to overflow."
He added that "the Lefkara dam with its overflow offers joy and satisfaction while strengthening and reducing the water supply problem throughout the country."
He added that "the Lefkara dam with its overflow offers joy and satisfaction while strengthening and reducing the water supply problem throughout the country. At the same time it enhances the efforts of the primary sector and the agricultural economy, since it is known that the water from the dam is used by farmers in the wider region for irrigation purposes."
Source: KYPE
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