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The snow brought not only enchanting images but also problems – Mountain community leaders speak to politis.com.cy

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The snow brought not only enchanting images but also problems - Mountain community leaders speak to politis.com.cy

In recent days, mountainous and semi-mountainous Cyprus has been dressed in white. Magnificent images are making the rounds of the internet while thousands of citizens are rushing to enjoy the beauty of the snowy landscapes, which show us another Cyprus, white, enchanting, taken from a fairy tale page.

The snow brought not only enchanting images but also problems - Mountain community leaders speak to politis.com.cy

Nevertheless, the magic of the snow brought with it many problems for the inhabitants of these areas, who this year are called to cope with an extreme winter scene with sub-zero temperatures.

“P” contacted community leaders of some mountainous areas and learned about the problems they face in these difficult days. In summary, we would say that the main ones are:

Transport – the icy road makes it difficult to impossible many times to move

Water supply – due to frost the pipes break and there is a problem in the flow of water but also in the heating

Mountain community allowance – a “free gift”, characterized by the inhabitants of the mountainous areas

The community of Pelendrio in the province of Limassol wore white again this year and offered its inhabitants beautiful images. “Snow is very beneficial for aquifers, agriculture and in general, but they also bring a lot of problems with them,” the mayor of Pelendri, Mr. Nikos Patsiaouros, told politis.com.cy.

The snow brought not only enchanting images but also problems - Mountain community leaders speak to politis.com.cy

* photo from page “In our Pelendri”

The first problem that the residents of the area are called to face, according to Mr. Patsiauros, is the transport problem, as “the network is frozen and it is difficult for people to move around”. The second problem concerns the water supply, since due to the prevailing frost, the pipes of the system and the solar water heaters used by the residents for heating the water are broken. “As a community we run from morning till night to repair the damage that is created.”

The main problem, however, according to the mayor is the heating of the houses. “Unfortunately we only have four ways to heat ourselves – oil, gas, wood and electricity, which are all very expensive and make it very difficult for rural households,” he said.

The assistance from the state concerns the allowance of Mountain Communities, which, however, Mr. Patsiaouros characterized as a “free gift”, since it is very small in the face of the huge needs of households. As he mentioned, “an elderly couple receives an allowance of 395 euros. But to buy oil to spend the winter may need 1300- 1500 euros. “Oil has risen so much that people are really wondering how it will survive in the mountain communities.”

Asked what he thinks should be done by the state, he stressed that “the taxes that have drowned us must be removed.”

“We are facing a lot of problems and if the state really wants the mountain communities to stay alive, it must stand by us and support us with actions and not just words.”

The snow brought not only enchanting images but also problems - Mountain community leaders speak to politis.com.cy

* photo from page “In our Pelendri”

Field

“The snow offered us very beautiful images, but from there and beyond, one problem appears after another,” said the mayor of Agros, Mr. Antonis Tsolakis.

For the residents of Agros in the province of Limassol, the movement to and from the village is also very difficult, according to Mr. Tsolakis. “Frost has formed, as a result of which we face problems in our transport.” At the same time, due to the frost, pipes and tanks break, with the result that many residents do not have water for days. “We all run to fix them to have water.”

The snow brought not only enchanting images but also problems - Mountain community leaders speak to politis.com.cy

* photo from Agros page, Cyprus

Mr. Tsolakis also referred to the huge problem of the accuracy of the means of heating a home, stating that “we in the mountains have our heating open from October to mid-May. The cost is very high, since in order to heat a house during these months, at best it may have to give 2000 euros and at worst 4000 euros “.

We get a small aid called “mountain allowance”, but the amount is negligible in the face of the needs of the residents. “If this amount could be increased, it could help the residents more.”

“The pictures when you are outside are really nice – and for us they are nice but the snow has its problems”, said characteristically Mr. Ioannis Iakovidis, community leader of the community of Kakopetria in mountainous Nicosia.

Unbearable cold, accidents, broken pipes, closed schools and expensive heating are just some of the problems mentioned by Mr. Iakovidis and which the community is called to face.

“We run all day with our crews and the help of the Prefect and the public works, to help the people and to fix problems and damages.”

In fact, as mentioned by the mayor of the area, elderly people have been excluded, and they turn to their fellow villagers for help, going to their food.

Nevertheless, Mr. Iakovidis humorously stated that the community is used to these situations and the residents will cope!

The mayor of Kyperounta, Mr. George Panagiotou, on his part stated that they had no particular problems. “People are used to these situations and they prepare properly,” he said.

“The roads have been open since morning, salt has been thrown and those who had to go to work have left.”

The residents, as Mr. Panagiotou said, are accustomed to these winter days, “they live at home, with their wood stoves, their heating, their fireplace”.

The snow brought not only enchanting images but also problems - Mountain community leaders speak to politis.com.cy

* photo from the page “Kyperounta Community”

Source: politis.com.cy

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