Irrigation operators, farmers, and residents of the Chrysochou Valley are on high alert and are organizing a public protest, warning of the imminent risk of an irrigation shutdown and the serious consequences such a development could have for both the crops and the region’s natural environment.
According to a statement, the protest will take place with farmers and tractors on the Polis Chrysochous–Paphos road, in an effort to highlight a problem that, according to the organizers, remains without a substantive and permanent solution, despite repeated efforts and appeals to the relevant authorities.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The peaceful and organized public protest is scheduled for Sunday, September 13, 2026, at 10:30 a.m., with the gathering point at the gas station on the main road between Polis Chrysochous and Paphos.
Participants are expected to protest the situation surrounding the irrigation of the Chrysochous Valley, calling for immediate government intervention before the consequences become irreversible for agricultural production and the environment.
Irrigators, farmers, and residents maintain that, despite their repeated meetings and appeals to the Department of Water Development, the District Administration, and other relevant authorities, no substantive and permanent solution to the issue has been found to date.
As noted, the Chrysochou Valley is one of Cyprus’s most important agricultural regions, with extensive farmland and a particularly lush natural landscape.
The threat of interrupted irrigation is causing deep concern among farmers, as an adequate water supply is essential for the continuation of agricultural activity.
As the organizers of the protest point out, the issue is not limited to farmers’ income and livelihoods. They warn that a lack of irrigation could affect the very character of the region and have serious consequences for the natural environment of the Chrysochou Valley.
At the heart of the mobilization are specific demands directed at the government and the relevant agencies.
Participants are calling for immediate measures to ensure the continuation of irrigation in the Chrysochou Valley.
A concrete and institutional solution for the future management of the irrigation system.
Immediate government intervention and a specific timeline for action.
In essence, farmers are calling for a definitive and institutionally enshrined solution, so that the same uncertainty regarding the availability of the necessary water for crops does not resurface every year.
The organizers make it clear that the protest is not directed against the public and is not intended to cause inconvenience to drivers and residents.
On the contrary, as they state, this is a peaceful and organized protest, through which they are attempting to finally bring attention to a problem affecting the entire region.
The concern is that, if the issue is not addressed immediately, the consequences could be particularly severe and affect both agricultural production and the natural environment.
By blocking the Poli Chrysochous–Paphos road with their tractors, farmers and local residents are attempting to send a clear message to the government and the relevant authorities that immediate action is required and that further delays are unacceptable, the statement concludes.
Source: CNA
