Police on standby to cut off traffic if Ha Potami dam overflows

[memory man]

Police are on stand by after they were notified by the Water Development Department that there is a possibility that a private dam at Ha Potami in the Paphos district may overflow and affect traffic on the Limassol-Paphos motorway and on the old Limassol-Paphos road.

Police are in the area ready to block off both roads and assist the public if necessary.

The public has been urged to avoid the area and drivers are being asked to be particularly careful and to comply with police instructions.

In case of need, the public can contact the police on telephones 199 and 112.

A police spokesman told CyBC on Thursday morning that police officers have been at the scene since Wednesday evening. He said that the dam is expected to overflow around noon today and police were standing by.

A similar issue had arisen last year, without the dam overflowing after the company that owns it took measures to manage the water.

But the police spokesman said that currently the inflow was larger than the water being discharged.

Read the article and chat about it below...

[Lincoln]

That will certainly cause problems if they do close the roads. There are people who have to get to the Limassol Hosp for treatment. As well as all the business men en-route.

[emgee]

Lincoln

Last year there was a diversion using the coast road for several Kilometres before picking up the motorway in time to leave for the Hospital.

Alan

[mike strand2]

Lincoln

Last year there was a diversion using the coast road for several Kilometres before picking up the motorway in time to leave for the Hospital.

Alan

The report says may have to close the A6 & B6 roads!

[trevnhil]

Maybe they will still be able to use the motorway but with a much reduced speed and the vehicles go through a small depth of water ??

[bromerzz]

The Ha Potami flows though the Secret Valley Golf Resort and underneath the motorway. The only way I can see the motorway closing is if the bridge was to be damaged by the collapse of the dams integrity. By then you would want to be well away as your wellies won't be of much use.
Last January 2019 there was considerable flooding of the golf course and there was some flooding of the exits from the coast road up to villages north of the motorway itself.

[Lincoln]

Lincoln

Last year there was a diversion using the coast road for several Kilometres before picking up the motorway in time to leave for the Hospital.

Alan

The report did state that both roads into Limassol might have to be closed A6 and B6.

[Kili01]

Well, there has been less rain than was originally forecast at least around Paphos in the last 2 days, hope that it has been similar higher up in the river valleys. Hope that at least the highway will have remained open. As someone else already said the Ha Potami river flows under the motorway, so hopefully it shouldn’t cause problems. Thats provided that the foundations for the bridge are robust enough to withstand floods or high river levels,
Dee

[Dominic]

Wasn't the fear last year that the dam itself might collapse?

[galexinda]

Yes Dominic, last March 2019 according to this article:

Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis assured on Friday there was no cause for concern over a private reservoir in Ha Potami, Paphos, whose embankment looks like it has partially collapsed.

Kadis said the private company is drafting an action plan and has put measures in place.

https://theworldnews.net/cy-news/minist ... -no-danger

[bromerzz]

They spent several weeks up on the dam repairing it over the summer.

[trevnhil]

Hopefully the repairs and the reinforcements will be adequate

[bromerzz]

The golf course would pretty much act as a floodplain where some of the fairways were under considerable volumes of water as it did last year. But it won't do the course much good!