“The operation of the Mia Milia wastewater treatment plant has been secured until 2032,” says the President of the Nicosia District Local Government Organisation (EOA), Constantinos Yiorkadjis, in an interview with Politis, describing a project that encapsulates the technical, institutional and political challenges facing local government today. As he explains, Mia Milia is not solely about wastewater treatment, but about the overall water security of the capital, at a time when drought and climate pressures are becoming permanent conditions.
Mr Yiorkadjis outlines the steps that led to securing the plant’s continued operation and to setting in motion interventions that had remained pending for years - from the replacement of ageing pipelines in the buffer zone to enabling the use of treated water for irrigation in the government-controlled areas. He makes particular reference to his cooperation with President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides, noting that “wherever and whenever personal intervention was required, he stepped in,” both on the Mia Milia issue and on other matters related to the reform of local government.
At the same time, he does not shy away from highlighting institutional dysfunctions that continue to hinder the work of the EOA, particularly in the critical field of licensing. As he notes, “it cannot be the case, for example, that we reach an agreement with the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Finance then comes along and questions it.” He adds that “we often receive different priorities from different ministries regarding planning applications, which makes it almost impossible to set targets for colleagues in the licensing directorate,” sketching out a framework of conflicting directions that undermines the effectiveness of administrative reform.
In parallel, the President of the Nicosia EOA addresses scenarios linking his name to political developments ahead of presidential elections, making it clear that his attention and time are “100 per cent devoted” to his current responsibilities. Finally, he maps out priorities for 2026, placing emphasis on further strengthening water supply and sewerage infrastructure, reducing licensing backlogs, digitising procedures and safeguarding the organisation’s financial sustainability in an environment of increased responsibilities and demands.
On the right track
The Nicosia EOA has assumed four critical responsibilities: licensing, water supply, sewerage and, from 2029, waste management. How prepared are you for this expansion of powers?
The EOAs emerged from the merger of different authorities. Employees of those authorities and services already had the knowledge, experience and operational readiness in their respective fields. What changed was the expansion of geographical coverage and, over time, the assumption of additional responsibilities by the EOAs, such as dangerous buildings.
The administration of the newly established EOA was initially called upon to ensure that all these employees had the appropriate working environment and the necessary tools. We proceeded to correct the organisational structure and the process of staffing the organisation with permanent personnel is under way. We listened carefully to the requests of citizens, investors and consultants and upgraded customer service with a new call centre to manage the more than 20,000 calls we receive each month.
We also established a service office dedicated exclusively to development-related issues. We created service hubs in rural areas, while at the same time expanding the organisation’s service centre on Athalassas Avenue. We are training our staff, streamlining procedures and launching the development of a digital platform for remote services.
In parallel, we are taking all the necessary steps vis-à-vis the state to safeguard institutional, operational and financial aspects that directly affect the organisation’s effective functioning, sustainability and financial balance. I believe we are on the right track and feel optimistic, because the organisation is staffed by highly capable and hardworking people, and there is a culture of shared responsibility and collective effort among employees and members of the board.
We are already seeing steady improvement and positive results where we intervene. In licensing, for example, we are now at the point where approximately as many applications are issued each month as are received. In other words, if it were not for the thousands of pending applications - more than 9,000 - that we inherited in physical files, we would not be talking about delays.
Ready within 10 months
What is the current status of the Mia Milia wastewater treatment plant?
The operation of the Mia Milia plant has been secured until 2032 following consultations between the Nicosia EOA, the Turkish Cypriot community of Nicosia and the plant operator, with the particularly important positive intervention of President Christodoulides and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
At the same time, in cooperation with departments of the European Union and the UNOPS office in Cyprus, we are promoting the completion and implementation of major projects, such as confining the old Mia Milia plant to state-owned land and replacing the vital main pipeline in the buffer zone. Most of this pipeline was constructed before 1974, is made of asbestos cement and currently exhibits frequent operational failures.
Because works in the buffer zone require special approvals, the tender for the replacement of the pipeline will be issued by the United Nations Development Programme Office in Cyprus. This is a project with a total cost of €1.6 million, and completion is expected within 10 months from the start of works.
At the initiative of the Nicosia EOA, a return pipeline will also be installed up to the embankment of Markou Botsari Street, with the capacity to transport 20,000 cubic metres of treated water per day. The water will be used for irrigation in the government-controlled areas, an approach aligned with our objectives for sustainable development and the circular economy. Above all, it constitutes one of the solutions to the long-standing problem of water scarcity in Cyprus.
Water losses and network upgrades
How much water is currently estimated to be lost in Nicosia’s water supply network, and what part of the network has already been upgraded or is expected to be repaired in the near future?
Historically, the Nicosia Water Board and today the Nicosia EOA have maintained the percentage of non-revenue water - that is, water lost along the way - at 18–20%, the lowest rate in all of Cyprus. This reflects the very good work that has been and continues to be carried out on the network. The organisation does not simply repair faults when they occur, but continuously maintains and upgrades its infrastructure.
This practice is followed every time a community in the district chooses to be integrated into the Nicosia EOA water supply network.
Institutional and other gaps
What do you see as the greatest challenge facing the Nicosia EOA in 2026, both in terms of projects and administrative transition?
From an administrative perspective, the main challenges concern the incomplete legislative framework affecting the operation of the EOAs, the completion of the process of permanent staffing, the funding of services that do not generate compensatory fees - such as dangerous buildings - and the financing of projects and infrastructure related to stormwater management, water supply and sewerage.
As far as the organisation’s responsibilities are concerned, the different nature of each sector brings corresponding challenges and priorities. In licensing, for example, we certainly want to increase departmental output and further strengthen the reliability, efficiency and transparency of procedures. To this end, we consider the following particularly important: the launch of the licensing digitisation project by the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy; the creation of a single licensing authority for listed buildings to optimise and streamline procedures; strengthening transparency in relation to the Department of Antiquities and major developments — we propose the establishment of a specific evaluation procedure based on scientifically documented impact assessments and measurable criteria for grading the significance of monuments and development zones.
We also propose avoiding the fragmentation of control in mixed-use developments involving residential and office uses exceeding 5,000 square metres, in order to reduce bureaucracy and shorten examination times, as well as amending legislation to require that each district organisation’s offices include staff from the Department of Environment, the Fire Service, the Water Development Department, the Electricity Authority of Cyprus, the National Guard and, of course, the Sewerage and Water Boards.
Priorities for 2026
What are your priorities for 2026?
With regard to water supply, the climate crisis makes a unified planning approach imperative. Our priority is the holistic management of the network, the connection of peri-urban communities to the urban system and the strengthening of infrastructure. Our goal is a system that offers alternatives in every crisis and ensures water sufficiency for all citizens.
We are already moving ahead with the construction of another modern water reservoir in the Latsia–Geri municipality, and we want to accelerate the processing of brackish water from community boreholes so that it can become potable.
Of major importance is also the implementation of a unified plan for stormwater management, both within the urban fabric and in problematic areas of the district. With regard to solid waste, the organisation is aiming to increase the number of green points and manage waste sites in an environmentally friendly manner.
Cooperation with the government
How would you describe your cooperation with the President of the Republic and the government?
Wherever and whenever personal intervention was required, the President of the Republic stepped in. I have already mentioned the case of the Mia Milia plant. At government level, we have worked very constructively with the Ministry of Interior and the Deputy Ministry of Research and Innovation to resolve many problems, mainly in the licensing sector, which was unfortunately the least prepared for the local government reform.
We were called upon to operate exclusively digitally while the software was malfunctioning. We were required to take on a massive volume of pending applications accumulated over decades, while understaffed, and at the same time manage numerous schemes, such as the “Photovoltaics for All” scheme and the “Ktizo” housing scheme.
Nevertheless, we can look ahead to 2026 with optimism, because for three consecutive months we have been issuing more permits than we receive. At district level, this has never happened before.
Need for a coordinating body
Which issues require immediate handling and cooperation with the government?
I believe better coordination between ministries is needed on issues related to reform and local government. Perhaps this is an area where the President could play a more decisive role. It cannot be the case, for example, that we reach an agreement with the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Finance then comes along and challenges it.
We often receive different priorities from different ministries regarding planning applications, which makes it almost impossible to set targets for colleagues in the licensing directorate. We also remain dependent on approval from the Ministry of Interior for fees and charges - that is, the organisation’s revenues - while our expenditures are directly affected by decisions of the Ministry of Finance regarding staff salary scales and structures.
Imagine running a business where priorities are not set by management, revenues are determined by one external board and expenditures by another. We were recently informed of two new responsibilities - jointly owned buildings and the licensing of petrol stations - for which we had no prior knowledge and had made no budgetary provision.
A decision was taken for us to assume responsibility for dangerous buildings without securing a permanent mechanism of compensatory fees to cover the service’s costs. In the past, I proposed the creation of a coordinating body for local authorities at ministerial level, which would provide horizontal solutions across all affected state services. I believe that even now, the establishment of such a body would facilitate the implementation of the reform and accelerate the resolution of local government issues.
Cooperation with other EOAs and municipalities
Is there cooperation and coordination with other EOAs and municipalities?
Our cooperation with the presidents of the other EOAs, as well as with the Union of Municipalities, is excellent. I believe there is mutual understanding and support towards the ultimate goal: a institutionally robust, modern, efficient and flexible local government, worthy of citizens’ expectations.
And it could hardly be otherwise, since I firmly believe that EOAs and municipalities are two sides of the same coin. No EOA can be considered complete without the support of its municipalities and communities, just as no municipality can offer comprehensive services to its residents unless it operates in full harmony with the district organisation of its district.
You now see projects that began during your term as Mayor of Nicosia moving forward or being completed. How does it feel to see these interventions take shape?
Satisfaction and pride, because all these projects were the result of collective effort, persistence and patience, with the shared goal of a more beautiful and more citizen-friendly Nicosia. Our concern and priority until the very last day of our term, even though many of us were not seeking re-election, was to ensure continuity in the city’s development trajectory.
The same applied to other areas of Nicosia, as together with the then mayors of Strovolos, Engomi, Aglantzia, Lakatamia and Agios Dometios we joined forces to develop a strategic plan for integrated spatial development. Concrete proposals were submitted, and we secured funding for projects across the wider urban area of Nicosia. These are the projects you now see being completed or launched: Konstantinou Palaiologou Avenue, Prince Charles Avenue, the project in Strovolos’ historic core, the regeneration of the Pedieos river, among others.
'Name and shame'
Will you adopt a similar practice to that of the President of the Famagusta EOA by publishing the names of major debtors?
At this stage, no. I understand that this practice could raise issues related to the disclosure of personal data. We proposed to the other EOAs, and reached a preliminary agreement with the Tax Department, that overdue sewerage fees owed to EOAs - since they constitute a form of taxation - be incorporated into the Tax Department’s collections and be managed and collected in the same way as state taxes. This approach is also consistent with EOA legislation.
Presidential candidate?
It has often been suggested recently that your name could serve as a point of reference for a broader centre-right alliance in the presidential elections. How do you respond to this scenario?
Yes, I read the various reports and political commentary, some of which I find particularly imaginative and creative. Quite a few have appeared in Politis as well - let me remind you of the comment “between cheese and dessert…”.
The centre-right is my political space, and naturally I would like the forces within it to cooperate for the benefit of citizens and the country, not necessarily only in electoral processes. As far as I am concerned, as I have repeatedly stated, this issue has not preoccupied me. Citizens entrusted me with the presidency of the EOA, and I want to honour that trust. My attention, effort and time are 100 per cent devoted to this role.