Mavrokolympos Reservoir In August
Mavrokolympos Reservoir near Peyia sprung a leak last year and has been out of action ever since. Finally after a long wait it is due to be repaired. We went to have a look at its current state.
Mavrokolympos Dam
This is the view of the dam itself now. Not a lot has changed since our last visit in February.
New Water
In fact, rather bizarrely, it appears to be filling up again, albeit slowly. The latest news is that they have put the job of repairing the dam out to tender. I don't know how this sort of thing is normally handled here, but I would have thought the urgency would have meant that the Municipality or whoever looks after it just organised the repair work and got on with it. But that is what I heard.
Empty Spaces
As you just saw, there has been a tiny bit of inflow, but not much at all. The reservoir is fed from the lush plains of Polemi and Stroumbi, which feed into Martiri Gorge just above Adonis Baths. The water then flows here.
You wouldn't expect any inflow during the summer months, owing to the lack of rain. However, it hasn't stopped the Press acting surprised that the reservoir water levels have declined further over the Summer. Not here obviously, but at Asprokremmos and Kouris.
Excess Mud
A friend of mine made a very interesting point. Why don't the Authorities, while the reservoirs are nearly empty, remove the mud that has been deposited on the bed? This will have built up year by year, and now must take a quite a large chunk of the reservoirs' capacity. The Mavrokolympos was built in 1966 and is the oldest reservoir in Paphos. Think how much silt and mud it has gathered in that time. Rather than spend millions building new reservoirs, why not do a bit of maintenance on the existing ones and increase capacity that way?
Not only that, but I imagine the mud and silt would be good quality and usable by farmers. My wife observered the other day at the Evretou Reservoir that a farmer has planted crops on one part of the reservoir bed.
There has been some good news on the water front though. The desalination plant at Potima Bay is now open, providing Peyia and the surrounding villages with their needs. The bigger plant in Kouklia has been delayed until September or October though. Presumably this was because of shipping delays from China.
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MapMavrokolympos Reservoir In August
Mavrokolympos Reservoir sprung a leak last year and has been out of action ever since. Finally after a long wait it is due to be repaired. We went to have a look at its current state.
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eBookCyprus Road Trip 01: the Kathikas - Panagia Loop
Let me take you on a journey around the region of Paphos, Cyprus. Starting at Paphos itself, we travel to Akoursos, then Kathikas, Kritou Terra and Simou. We continue past Lasa and Kannaviou, before taking in the delights of Panagia. Getting a bit more adventurous, we visit the abandoned villages of Statos and Agios Fotios, before passing through Choulou, Letymbou and Polemi, and rejoining the main Paphos - Polis road.
The route is suitable for all types of vehicle, and requires no off-roading. The guide contains about 130 photographs including shots of all the road signs you need to pay attention to, as well as some of the highlights you may experience along the way.
There are also several maps which will help you keep your bearings.
You can do this journey in a day, or you can break it up into chunks. You can also do it in reverse, to get some completely different views. It is entirely up to you.
