The Parliamentary Agriculture Committee is discussing significant amendments to the Water Conservation (Special Measures) Law following concerns raised during a previous session on 27 May 2025.
Key modifications include explicit provision for supervisory oversight by the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment.
The Water Development Department explained this addition aims to create a national coordination and supervision mechanism for law implementation whilst maintaining operational responsibility with local authorities and provincial self-government organisations.
The minister will now have authority to issue decrees and appoint inspectors to serve extrajudicial notices to violators.
A significant issue raised by MPs was the absence of a clear timeframe for determining repeat violations.
The amended bill now explicitly states that if the same violation is repeated by the same person or concerns the same property within 18 months, enhanced penalties are triggered, with immediate court prosecution following a third repeat.
The Water Development Department provided reassurances regarding privacy violation concerns, clarifying that authorised persons, including private individuals, will not have the right to enter homes for law enforcement inspections.
Rules are being established for evaluating and investigating complaints – anonymous or named – with fines imposed only after on-site violation confirmation.
Another point of committee discussion was the exemption of businesses from hose-use prohibitions.
The final bill text clarifies that only businesses using water for professional cleaning purposes are exempted, provided they use high-pressure washing machines or other water-saving systems. This provision was deemed necessary for operational coverage of cleaning sector professionals.
During the session, data on existing legislation implementation showed inadequate enforcement of water conservation measures.
Over five years, only 40 extrajudicial notices and 80 notifications were recorded, mainly from Larnaca Provincial Self-Government Organisation.
This phenomenon is attributed to staff and procedural shortages, as well as deterrent factors including threats against inspectors.
The new bill aims to address these weaknesses through legal provisions that strengthen enforcement and protect inspectors.
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