Nicosia’s flood weak points exposed as authorities tackle decades-old drainage problems

Local floodsNicosiaTop News Nicosia’s flood weak points exposed as authorities tackle decades-old drainage problems Plimires Lefkosia Relevant News Nicosia’s flood weak points exposed as authorities tackle decades-old drainage problems 13 September 2026 Four-year-old boy dies after fall from sixth-floor flat in Nicosia 13 September 2026 Four-year-old boy dies after fall from building in Engomi 12 September 2026 Ernestos Mousas 13 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber The technical fallout from the destructive storm that hit Cyprus on August 29 was understandably overshadowed by the two tragedies that marked that weekend. The loss of human life rightly took precedence over any temporary disruption or damage. But the storm once again exposed weaknesses in flood protection, particularly in Nicosia, which received the heaviest rainfall. Experts told Phileleftheros that the extreme weather was caused by a combination of atmospheric conditions and does not mean such intense events will now become the norm in Cyprus. More active rainy periods and more severe episodes may become more likely, but that does not automatically mean more flooding. The possibility nevertheless exists and could be influenced by the strength of the developing El Niño phenomenon. Authorities are therefore being called on to address long-standing problems which, in fairness, cannot be fixed overnight. They are issues that Cyprus may increasingly have to confront as the climate changes rapidly. Responsibility passes to the Nicosia district organisation The Nicosia District Local Government Organisation took over responsibility for operating and maintaining stormwater drainage systems in municipal areas on July 1, 2024. Before the local government reform, responsibility had been divided among 10 different authorities. Sources familiar with the issue told Phileleftheros that the organisation effectively inherited 10 disconnected networks. With the exception of Nicosia municipality, there were significant differences in the way those systems had been developed, funded, managed and routinely maintained. Some networks had not been fully mapped, while others had been built without a consistent approach and had sections with no drainage pipes at all. Some infrastructure was old, incomplete or badly constructed, while elsewhere the existing system could no longer cope with the volumes of water generated by the expansion of the city. The department set up to maintain the networks has already cleaned and restored the operation of a significant number of stormwater facilities and is carrying out a year-round programme of preventive maintenance and cleaning. “If we had not carried out this scheduled work, the condition of the stormwater network would have been far worse,” the same sources said. An area near K Cineplex in Strovolos before the box culvert was cleaned in 2025. The same area after cleaning. The accumulated soil had reduced the culvert’s capacity and, as a result, its effectiveness. At the same time, the organisation is working with municipalities, whose services are responsible for cleaning pavements, roads and drain grates, to improve preparedness and the response to severe weather. The effort includes agreements for coordinated interventions, the mobilisation of crews and staff, the deployment of vehicles and machinery and the use of water-pumping equipment. Beyond maintaining the existing networks, the organisation says it has made the most urgent problems a priority, as the need for a single, coordinated plan has become clear. To support that work, it has secured assistance through the EU’s Technical Support Instrument, which will provide experts to study the issue and help draw up a stormwater management policy. Nicosia’s flood black spots Areas that repeatedly suffer serious flooding largely correspond with the flood hazard maps published by the Water Development Department following its own studies. The problems have accumulated over decades, and sources at the Nicosia District Local Government Organisation acknowledge that it would be wrong to suggest they could be solved within a few months. In Nicosia, the main problem areas include Engomi, Archangelos and locations along the Pedieos river. Other areas face smaller-scale problems that nevertheless affect residents’ daily lives and also require solutions. Sources at the organisation said work will soon begin to repair the enclosed culvert beneath Digeni Akrita Avenue, along the Vasilopotamos-Kotsirkas watercourse. A study for new stormwater pipes in the area between Lakatamia and Strovolos, near APOEL’s stadium, is also at an advanced stage, with construction expected to begin in early 2027. What the organisation wants from the state The Nicosia District Local Government Organisation is now pressing for flood protection projects that had remained the responsibility of central government for decades either to move ahead immediately or for the necessary funding to be transferred to the organisation so that it can carry them out. These include flood protection works in Dali, the Engomi retention basins, for which final decisions and an official location are still pending, Navarinou Avenue, flood protection projects in Kokkinotrimithia, Paliometocho and Agioi Trimithias, and a retention basin in Latsia. Engomi’s serious problems and the Kotsirkas project Repeated flooding occurs in Engomi along 28 October Avenue and at several points across the wider residential area. The Nicosia District Local Government Organisation considers the problem particularly serious and intends to investigate immediately why the flooding keeps occurring. The review is expected to examine whether existing stormwater pipes are large enough, any possible effects from placing the Klimos river in an enclosed channel, gaps in the local drainage network and surrounding roads, and the consequences of the absence of water-retention basins at the International State Fair site and the former Nicosia airport. Following the August 29 storm, inspections were carried out in several residential areas of Engomi. They found that some existing pipes were too small, while some locations had no network at all. In other cases, connections between pipes in the existing system appeared to be unsuitable. Although these issues will be examined in detail as part of studies covering the wider area, the organisation intends to move ahead immediately with small-scale stormwater relief works at four locations as an interim measure aimed at easing flooding as far as possible. Meanwhile, work is due to begin within the next month to repair, maintain and reinforce the rectangular culvert beneath Digeni Akrita Avenue, along the Vasilopotamos-Kotsirkas watercourse in Nicosia municipality, between its junctions with Kallipoleos and Larnakos avenues. Sources at the organisation told Phileleftheros that after taking over responsibility for stormwater management, it identified the condition of the culvert and placed the project among its priorities. They said the safety of vehicles travelling over the culvert on Digeni Akrita Avenue every day was also a major consideration. The project will cost €2,259,499 plus VAT. Two-thirds of the cost will be funded by the state and one-third by the district organisation through stormwater charges. The work is expected to take 28 weeks. Constantinos Yiorkadjis: We will not dwell on the past Image Nicosia District Local Government Organisation president Constantinos Yiorkadjis told Phileleftheros that the organisation would not dwell on what had happened in previous years, while acknowledging that there had been delays, shortcomings and failures. “The situation, however, shows that the district local government organisations were rightly created so that a single authority could take over the unified management of the stormwater system,” he said. Yiorkadjis said the organisation’s goal was to ensure that the necessary infrastructure was in place and properly operated and maintained, while also maintaining the operational readiness needed to respond immediately to severe weather emergencies that could put people and property at risk. He added that annual revenue of about €2 million from stormwater charges allows the organisation to intervene at key problem areas across Nicosia district, gradually improving conditions and reducing the likelihood of flooding each year. Charalambos Prountzos: The problem cannot be treated with painkillers Nicosia Mayor Charalambos Prountzos said the new Nicosia municipality was trying to address stormwater problems created by shortcomings stretching back decades. “The stormwater issue is something the new Nicosia municipality is trying to resolve after decades of long-standing problems,” he said. “Severe flooding occurs at specific points for specific reasons, which are unfortunately not unforeseen because the Water Development Department’s flood maps have existed for many years. “Areas bordering rivers, low-lying areas at the bottom of slopes and locations without flood protection measures are classified as high-risk areas. We face such problems in Platy Aglantzias, at homes bordering the former Higher Technical Institute, in Engomi and Agios Dometios beside the Klimos riverbed, on Ilia Papakyriakou, Lefkotheou and VyZantiou streets, as well as at low points around the hills surrounding Engomi. “Because of climate change, such events are now occurring more frequently, and there is therefore a need to update emergency management plans and improve coordination between the responsible services. “The crisis-management protocol also needs to be updated. Communication between services should not depend on whether employees from different authorities happen to have a good working relationship. Cooperation should be institutionalised, with specific communication and coordination protocols. “For our part, we have taken specific measures to deal with these problems. Many have been resolved through flood protection works carried out on various roads. “In the Nicosia municipal district in particular, as well as in Agios Dometios, more than 300 roads have been reconstructed over the past 12 years and a broad culvert network was installed to drain rainwater. “However, the failure to carry out urban planning projects included in local plans for more than three decades, such as Grigori Afxentiou and Navarinou, continues to cause problems. “The district organisation has now taken over the expansion of stormwater drainage networks as well as flood protection works where necessary. “We expect the organisation to move ahead with the construction of retention basins for water from the Klimos river in Engomi, because for Nicosia municipality this is a very important project that would make a major contribution. “We have informed the district organisation of all the problem areas and remain in constant communication and cooperation with it. “The issue cannot be solved with painkillers. The state must set in motion major flood protection projects that go beyond individual local areas. “We also expect the government to include the Engomi retention basins and Lefkotheou Avenue in the forthcoming three-year budget.” Filippos Tymvios: More intense weather events are possible Image Cyprus Meteorology Department director Filippos Tymvios said current atmospheric forecasting models point to a more positive rainfall outlook for autumn than for the heart of winter. “Based on the data currently provided by atmospheric forecasting models, the outlook is more positive for autumn than for the heart of winter,” he said. “Seasonal forecasts show a clearly wetter signal for September to November, with the strongest signal in October and a positive trend continuing, although more weakly, into November. “For December and January, there is no clear positive signal, while February shows only a small positive deviation. The conclusion is that the coming months are more likely to bring an earlier and more active start to the rainy season rather than necessarily an overall wet winter. “There is no scientific argument that allows us to directly link the rainfall measured in Cyprus with the strength of El Niño. The relationship is indirect and complex, through changes in the general circulation of the atmosphere. “Of greater interest for the eastern Mediterranean is the possible combination of a strong El Niño with another large-scale global system, the Indian Ocean Dipole, or IOD. “Based on the scientific literature, this combination could favour increased moisture transport during the autumn and a greater frequency of low-pressure systems in the Cyprus region. “An increased likelihood of more active rainy periods and more intense events is possible, but that does not automatically mean more flooding. “For an extreme event to occur, the appropriate local and synoptic-scale conditions must also come together, as they did on August 29. “We cannot claim on the basis of a single event that such phenomena will now become the norm. “What we can say, based on the indications available so far, is that the environment in which severe weather develops is changing. “In a warmer climate, the atmosphere already contains more energy, while warmer seas can feed the lower layers of the atmosphere with greater amounts of water vapour and heat. “When the right dynamic conditions occur at the same time, the potential increases for more intense events and very large amounts of rain to fall over a short period. “August 29 was a characteristic example of such a combination. “The very warm sea, already heightened atmospheric instability, a disturbance in the upper atmosphere and a weak low-pressure system south of Cyprus created conditions of strong convergence and favoured the development of organised, long-lasting thunderstorms. “Each of these factors on its own could have contributed to severe weather, but their combination produced an exceptionally powerful event.” Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Four-year-old boy dies after fall from sixth-floor flat in Nicosia Four-year-old boy dies after fall from building in Engomi €13,500 fine issued in Larnaca poaching case Limassol Police arrest couples from Israel and Palestine after finding cocaine in paint tins (photos) Minor seriously injured after fall from balcony in Engomi Construction worker dies after electrocution at building site; Contractor and concrete pump operator arrested Fire breaks out at mud-brick house in Engomi Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.