Fresh water crisis grows in Turkish Cyprus over authorization dispute

Fresh water has been pumped through a new pipeline to the sea rather than to households in Turkish Cyprus, amid an unresolved dispute between Turkey and Turkish Cyprus over who will run the water affairs of the newly-built pipeline.

The Northern Cyprus Water Supply Project, dubbed "the project of the century," is an international water diversion project designed to supply water for drinking and irrigation from southern Turkey to Turkish Cyprus via a pipeline under the Mediterranean Sea. The pipeline came online recently after a $1.6-billion Turkish Liras investment, but the water has been piped into the sea rather than households due to an authorization crisis, which has also negatively affected the financial protocol between Turkey and Turkish Cyprus. 

The water crisis erupted over who would collect the bills. The Turkish Cypriot government wanted a company established by its municipalities to collect the water bills. The Turkish side has, however, opposed this idea and said the water is given to Turkish Cyprus free of charge, adding that the water distribution costs should be undertaken by the Turkish Cypriot side. 

The Turkish side has also said the existing distribution network needed to be renewed for an additional 600 million liras, according to sources close to the matter. Turkey has also said the bill charging rates in the existing municipalities were fairly low, so these municipalities could not make any additional investment in the network, adding that private companies should be involved in the process in a competitive climate. 

Who will run the project? 

Turkish Forestry and Water Minister Veysel Ero?lu recently offered that the water management and investment could be undertaken by the General Directorate of...