North finds ‘largest ever’ groundwater source

The “largest ever” groundwater source found in the north was found in the foothills of the Pentadaktylos mountain range near Ayios Epiktitos.

According to the north’s ‘environment ministry’, the groundwater source is 168 metres deep has a capacity of “80 tonnes of water per hour with safe extraction”, making it “the most productive water well ever dug in the Ayios Epiktitos section of the Kyrenia mountain range aquifer.”

The ‘ministry’ also praised the “uninterrupted and devoted work” of the engineers and technical staff from the north’s geology department.

The well was visited by ‘environment minister’ Fikri Ataoglu on Friday.

He said the water had been reached after seven years of work at the site, and described the source as “the richest water source discovered in the history of the TRNC”.

He added that Ayios Epiktitos and its surrounding villages will be “relieved to a great extent” by the finding of the water.

The “next step”, he said, will be a similar project near Lapithos, with the hope of finding a similar amount of water there.

The water found in Ayios Epiktitos will now be analysed for its mineral content, with Ataoglu saying the results will be “quickly shared with the public”.