Harmancı: State Hospital and Riverside Areas at Risk as Water Levels Rise

Speaking to the Turkish News Agency Cyprus (TAK), Harmancı said the rivers had been cleaned, but their capacity was designed to handle routine water flow, not the exceptional rise currently being experienced. He noted that despite the preventive measures taken, the rapidly increasing water level had heightened the risk of flooding.

LTB Director Fikri Özgüvenli also told TAK that teams had been in the field since last night and continued to work, but the overflows at the Gönyeli Dam and Kanlı Dere were causing problems around the hospital and the Ortaköy area.

Özgüvenli urged residents to call the 185 hotline in case of any emergency and said the municipality was preparing for the heavy rainfall expected today and tomorrow. He added that although rivers within municipal boundaries had been cleared, the rise in construction in the city was limiting the areas where water could naturally flow.

He stressed that water levels near the hospital were at a critical point and that precautionary measures were ongoing. Özgüvenli added that the rivers were at a critical level not because of rainfall alone but due to overflow from upstream.