WATER SAVING
WATER
This was written in 2008, when we had a drought in Cyprus, and this situation could become permanent. In an increasingly drier climate, with ground water now seriously depleted, Cyprus has to learn to be water-wise as a permanent way of living.
Below is the key information:
The Mukhtar has given us the figures for average domestic use: 8 tonnes per person, or 40 tonnes for a family, every three months.
Key Village Office notices about water are also posted in this section.
Water Supply
1. Village water supplies:
Those of us who have lived here a long time can easily forget how mysterious things can seem to those who are relatively new to Cyprus. It has become clear that a lot of what is being discussed is simply not understood (its impenetrability makes this entirely excusable). So, back to basics.
All the water the Village supplies to your home is potable (ie drinkable) water – UNLESS you are connected to the separate non-potable supply, and very few have direct access to that. If you are one of the few lucky enough to be connected to the non-potable supply you will have two meters.
So assume that your sole supply is potable Village water. You cannot use it for your garden, irrigation supply or pool.
The fact that you have a tap in your kitchen called “village drinking water” simply reflects the fact that it comes direct from the supply pipe: the rest of the water in your house is circulated through your water storage tank (usually on the roof) and therefore deemed not suitable for drinking.
The garden tap is taken from a spur on the main village (potable) water supply, and under the drought restrictions you cannot use it for watering the garden or topping up the pool. If you do, you are as much to blame as anyone hosing down their terrace or washing their car with a hosepipe for depleting our Village drinking water supply.
Apparently there are 700 swimming pools in Pissouri. A lot of people are now scrambling to meet the village requirements on not filling them with potable water, but if you consider how many people are using drinking water to top up their pools and water their gardens the scale of the problem is immediately apparent. Another hair-raising statistic (how it is measured we don’t know) is that the permanent population of Pissouri is 2,100, but a further 10-12,000 stay in the Village during the period May-October, which of course adds hugely to the water problem.
The Village hopes that eventually Pissouri will be able to draw on a new desalination plant at Kouklia for potable water, but that is bound to be some way off.
2. Non-potable supply
The Water Board provides a non-potable water supply, but it has a limited reach which does not include either the Village or the higher areas of Pissouri. If you are on the route of the supply you can draw on the non-potable water supply, and even if you are not on the route you can register for a meter on the supply and use a tank to transport the water to your home.
The cost of this water (which is suitable for gardens and pools) is about €1 per cubic metre. You can subscribe to an independent non-potable water meter, and as the commercial non-potable water deliveries by tanker can cost €10 per cubic metre or more, it is better to use this non-potable supply if you can.
If you make use of this non-potable meter, you will need a tank to transport the water to your home and, if you are not going to use it immediately, a tank to store it (get together with your friends and/or neighbours and find someone with a pickup truck?). If you can’t gravity feed, you need a pump. If you want to take advantage of this supply contact Derek Parker on 99 311538.
It would help the Village if as many of us as possible can use this meter. A note detailing how the scheme works is available. You can of course ask your neighbours to share the cost of some of the necessary equipment for moving water such as tanks, trailers and pumps.
3. Tanker.
As it is only convenient for the tanker to deliver to two or three nearby pools at a time it makes sense for each estate to coordinate its pool back-washes and order water accordingly (Mr Savvas, 99 476645). He will charge €10 per group delivery and the cost of a tanker is €200 for 2 ½ tonnes. Patrick Reilly coordinates commercial sources of water. Contact him on reillyp.reillye@cytanet.com.cy, or at the Saratoga pool shop.
An alternative immediate local solution is to telephone Andreas, Ph. 99 903937, who will bring 2½ tonnes for €30. . If you have any difficulty in explaining what you need, pop into 1911 in the evening and ask Theo to help.
4. Tanks
Install a water storage tank. This can be purpose-made plastic, or you can make your own: it is perfectly simple and economic to dig a hole in the ground (a tractor helps – see Valentinos!), make a concrete box and line it with swimming pool liner. A tank can be installed underground, or at ground level or at a height so that it gravity feeds downwards. Otherwise you will need a pump.
In addition to storing Village non-potable water, the tanks can be used to catch backwash (see below), greywater or rainwater (or both). There is plenty of advice on how to do this and how to make it function. Obviously if you are recycling backwash into the pool you will not want to put greywater into it.
Greywater/rainwater/bought-in non-potable water can be stored and used on the garden, and chlorinated backwash is apparently ok for the garden if left to neutralise for a few days.
You can contact Dave Eyre 96211416 who can supply tanks, which he can also install, fit the pumps etc.
5. Waste
It is discouraging for people who are making heroic efforts to save water to still see the amount wasted in Pissouri. The streets of Pissouri regularly run with water. Trace these rivers back to source and you inevitably see someone – often a maid - holding a hose and washing down a terrace or courtyard. It is as if to some people the broom and mop had never been invented. We see water being wasted all over the place; and over the years, before the situation became so extreme, an entire reservoir must have been washed down the streets of Pissouri.
Another example is those who have villas but do not live here and who contract out their garden maintenance. There are reports of excessive use of watering systems. We know the Village Office is dealing with this problem, but you should be aware of it and check their meters. Another misuse of water much in evidence is enthusiastic use of hoses to wash cars, in spite of the Village Office’s request not to. Leaks can often be seen in the water supply pipes in the fields, sometimes wasting huge amounts of water. But, undoubtedly, people who are still using potable water on their gardens and to top up and backwash pools are the main offenders.
WATER SAVING
Below you will find Water Rules for properties which are let. If you look after a property which is let, please put this up. Markos at the Internet Cafe can laminate them for you.
The Cyprus Mail tells us that Government subsidies are available for water conservation measures. According to the Environment Commissioner, Charalambos Theopemptou, there are several subsidies available for water-saving measures ( “For the installation of a hot water circulator in your home, you will receive €170, while drilling a well in your garden from which to draw water pays out €680. You will also receive €680 by connecting the well to the toilet via a separate pipe system”, he said. He added that a €1,700 subsidy is available to those who install a grey or complete water treatment system.”) See http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/moa/WDD/WDD.ns ...
Apparently it is a bureaucratic nightmare to obtain these grants, and therefore not worth the bother. It seems Draintech can help with these, as no doubt can the Village Office who have the forms, but these measures need a heavy expenditure.
It is unfortunate that the Government has never thought to subsidise, or at least facilitate, the supply of garden water tanks and pool covers and make the existing subsidies for water conservation more accessible. Were they to do so it would be a real incentive to use non-potable water.
Boreholes.
Expensive, but if you can get a permit, you can have a source of water for the garden, pool (after testing) or for sharing, and a grant is available. It is questionable however whether it is ecologically sound to deplete the water table any further, and pumping from locations near the sea has polluted water supplies with salt-water. Licences and grants are available, but not if you don’t have your title deeds.
Recycling household waste water.
Draintech have written as follows:
“The treatment plant we supply and fit not only treats the grey water but also the water from the toilets.
The water is cleaned to a good European standard and can be used for irrigation of gardens etc.
We can fit these units to new properties or retro-fit existing villas.
We can fit this system for either single villas or large 600 person complexes.
To supply the treatment plant for an existing villa that already has a septic tank you would require a Gem unit and the cost of this (supply only) is €4,100.00 plus vat.
You will require a water storage tank to hold the clean water before it is used in irrigation. The cost of a 2000 litre water storage tank complete with Pump is €854.30 plus vat.
The treatment plant and water storage tank is fitted underground and therefore there is excavation work and concrete required for the bases of the units. The cost of this depends upon the ground and we can only give an average fitting cost which is for excavation work approx €683.44 plus vat; concrete for treatment plant and water storage tank base and to bed in units €512.58 plus vat; Labour to connect system €512.58 So the average approx total cost subject to the ground is €6,663.55 plus vat.
We have been informed that there is a government grant available of €1,700.00 but a word of warning this may take time to recover.
We give free estimates and advice, so if any one wishes more information we can either come to their property or they can pop in to our showroom which is located in Yerosikpou, Paphos.
Our tel number is 77 777 303”.
www.draintechcyprus.com
info@draintechcyprus.com.
• Pool covers. First, if you are a pool owner, get a cover. With this, you can stop up to 80% of evaporation and the amount of water lost through evaporation is considerable.
• Guttering. Obviously, if you are going to the expense of installing a water storage tank, you will want to be able to channel rainwater into it.
If you are building a house, put in a grey water system, guttering and a water storage tank. (Check your water meter before you take over your property: otherwise you might get a nasty shock).
• Instant Hot Water – from Dave Eyre (96211416).
“With the water problems very apparent in Cyprus currently, everything that can be done to help out, however small, should be looked at very seriously.
Some facts based on my home, if I run off 7 litres of cold water before I get the hot, twice every day for 1 year I will use just over 5000 litres, that's 5 tons of water just wasted and that's just from one tap and I think I’m being quite conservative in that estimate.
With the new Ultimate water saver all this wasted water is fed directly back to your tank for reuse.
How it works: it carefully monitors the temperature of the water in the hot pipe as you run it through, diverting it back along the existing cold back to your storage tank. When the
temperature has reached the desired level it switches off and blocks the transfer between cold and hot so you can use your taps as normal.
We also offer an installation service and the Ultimate water saver has a 1 year warranty.
All for a reasonable €299 + installation.
This really is an outstanding water-saving product.
• Aerated taps and shower heads. Other water-saving devices being marketed are aerated shower heads and aerated taps, which claims to save 50-70% of consumption and cut the formation of lime-scale. A copy of the article on these is available on request. Contact q-water@cytanet.com.cy.
• ANW Cars Ltd in Tremithousa (Paphos) sell Eco - car "wash". It is a spray & will do approximately 6 "washes". (Turn left off the Polis road signposted to Tremithousa & it is not far along on the right hand side. Their tel. is 26 652661, fax the same, Mob 99129590 email anwcars@cytanet.com.cy website: www.anwcars.com.