Can the extreme weather truly justify what we witnessed on Saturday, particularly in Paphos? Should a hospital – the main public hospital serving an entire district – be at the mercy of the weather?
No matter how much we try to blame the intensity of the rainfall, historical records contradict claims that this outcome was unforeseeable.
Reports from six years ago – following January rains – already highlighted construction defects, with photos showing buckets placed throughout the hospital in desperate attempts to prevent flooding.
One patient even described how, had the rain continued any longer, umbrellas would have been needed to move about inside the hospital.
The problem, therefore, was well-known.
The building urgently needed maintenance. However, other projects took priority, which themselves proved to be merely cosmetic.
Indeed, Paphos has seen many improvements in recent years that have transformed the city’s appearance.
Yet even these recently completed works, such as the pedestrian zones in the commercial centre finished just one or two years ago, turned into rivers last Saturday.
These projects cost millions and inconvenienced business owners and citizens for years. Could these weather phenomena not have been anticipated just a few years ago?
Climate change was already a reality, with scientists warning about increasing frequency of extreme events. Yet beautification seemed to take precedence.
Everything was covered with tiles and Chinese-made granite, driving up costs whilst sealing the ground. This mirrors other cities and even villages, where paving has become the cornerstone of every local authority’s offerings.
While everyone shares responsibility for the shortcomings revealed by the rains, they’re all pointing fingers at each other, leaving citizens hoping they won’t face even more extreme situations.
Spain’s recent experience is fresh in memory and frightening. Though in Spain, citizens greeted the royal couple and prime minister in affected areas by throwing mud at them.
We’re not suggesting this should have happened in Paphos, but having ministers and other officials posing for commemorative photos outside the flooded hospital can only be described as provocative.
You can’t have ceilings collapsing at night and treat the next day as just another photo opportunity.
It hasn’t even been a month since European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen cut the ribbon, alongside our president, inaugurating the Dialysis Unit in this very hospital.
We excel at photos, promises and statements. But what about when things get tough?
Extreme weather cannot serve as an alibi for infrastructure that leaked under any weather conditions.