Some of the hills do still look barren, but that is in part due to all the gypsum in the area.

Now, the comparison shots can be a bit misleading. In this recent shot, the new Solar Park by Agios Dimitrianos is surrounded by verdant fields, and the rocky hills in the foreground have plenty of colour.

Last June, the scene looked a lot bleaker.

The fire tore through Psathi and across the Ezousa Valley to Choulou and Lemona. The unburnt areas of green you can see are vineyards, which turned out to be superb natural fire breaks.

And this is what the Ezousa Valley looks like now. This shot was taken on the roadside between Letymbou and Choulou. There is still some way to go but you can already see that nature is doing her thing and the valley is returning to its former glory.

Polemi, and the rest of Cyprus, desperately needs to sort out its problem with Waste Management. With water shortages already looming, the last thing we need to be doing is chucking what water we have onto fires which could easily have been avoided if we had better practices in place. As a country we must do better.