Mehmetçik — Büyükkonuk Municipality replaced water meters in 922 homes for 5.45 million lira

Mehmetçik — Büyükkonuk Municipality in Northern Cyprus replaced old and faulty water meters in 922 homes: the new meters cost 5,454,552 lira, and residents were charged nothing either for the meters or their installation.

The municipality published a report on its investments in water in response to a public discussion about water supply interruptions in the area. Mayor Fatma Çimen Tuğlu said that disruptions to the water supply may occur from time to time, and that the administration’s task is not to conceal them, but to correctly identify their causes, intervene promptly and minimise inconvenience for residents.

According to the municipality, installation and other work were carried out by its own teams, while the cost of the meters was covered from its own funds. In addition to replacing the meters, new water lines have been laid, reservoirs have been repaired and insulated, irrigation water systems for agriculture have been reinforced, and alternative sources are connected to the network when necessary.

Tuğlu noted that teams respond to current requests around the clock, seven days a week, while investment is also continuing in a permanent solution — lines, reservoirs, meters and new sources. Work on the water infrastructure is not complete: wherever a need has been identified, new lines continue to be built and the existing network strengthened.

Some of the problems in the municipality are linked to past development. The statement notes that where high-rise construction was permitted, growth in the population, the number of apartments and water consumption was predictable, but the infrastructure was not prepared for it in advance: issuing a building permit does not mean managing the urban environment.

The municipality called on people not to make water an issue in the election campaign and to assess what has been done based on specific figures. Early local elections in the TRNC will be held on 6 December.