Uluçam Questions Water Distribution Amid Güzelyurt Drought

“In a water-scarce island like ours, we wouldn’t even have drinking water without the supply from Turkey,” Uluçam said, highlighting the contradiction between drying citrus orchards in Güzelyurt and the use of valuable, high-quality water for cultivating crops at low cost, while imported agricultural products and animal feed are bought at great expense. He argued that this imbalance could only result from “a deliberate lack of planning.”

Uluçam warned that the water from Turkey came with its own set of problems. He pointed to the secrecy during the project’s planning phase, which, he claimed, is now manifesting in unintended consequences. Referring to high vegetable prices, he urged authorities to investigate how water designated for domestic use in cities is actually being utilised.

“It’s known that purified drinking-quality water is being used for agriculture in the Mesaoria and İskele regions, but there’s no monitoring,” he added. “Meanwhile, in the South, strict water restrictions are imposed even on domestic use, whereas our local administrations are racing to plant grass wherever they can.”

Questioning Pipeline Projects Amid Shortages

Uluçam also drew attention to the pipeline being laid to transfer water from Güzelyurt to the Mesaoria Plain. “At a time when water for agriculture in Güzelyurt is already insufficient and only available on a rotating basis during the driest periods, how can it make sense to keep laying pipelines to Mesaoria?”

He questioned whether the scarce water in Güzelyurt would now be diverted to Mesaoria, and what crops — unable to grow in Güzelyurt — would thrive there instead.

“What Changed?”

Uluçam recalled that for years, water from Güzelyurt’s wells was pumped to Nicosia and Famagusta for domestic use, leading to increased salinity in the region’s groundwater. “We were told the water from Turkey would reduce the salinisation of Güzelyurt’s aquifers. So, what has changed? Who has the priority when it comes to this water? Where are the fertile lands, the favourable climate, and the producers who have always relied on irrigated farming?”