Severe flooding struck several areas in the north on Tuesday, including Nicosia, Kyrenia, Agirta, Dikomo and Kioneli, where the local dam overflowed, causing landslides and leaving vehicles reportedly underwater.

Despite the disruption, the north’s “education minister” Nazim Cavusoglu told Kibris Postasi that “very few transportation problems” had occurred and that schools remained open.

“While some transportation difficulties have been experienced here and there following the rainfall that has affected our country since last night, the current situation is under control and the problems can be resolved quickly,” a statement of his “ministry” read.

Video: Gadara Medya

North Nicosia mayor Mehmet Harmanci warned that all streams in the capital had overflowed and urged residents living nearby to exercise extreme caution.

A central road connecting the general hospital and a school was closed, and the school remained shut, though other roads were still open.

Harmanci said water levels could not be reduced and had already reached a critical height, adding that he was in contact with the Kioneli municipality to determine next steps.

Further flooding was reported on the Kyrenia–Nicosia road, while a landslide occurred on the Ayios Epiktitos–Kythrea road, where clean-up efforts were still underway as of 11am on Tuesday.

The areas of Famagusta, Morphou and Lefka were also affected by heavy rainfall, though no serious incidents had been reported.

“The problem is not the amount of rainfall in cities, the problem is the heavy rainwater coming from the mountains,” Kyrenia mayor Murat Senkul said in a post on Monday night.

He described the situation as a natural disaster and called for a “national action plan in the north”, warning that such events are likely to increase in the future

“The problem is not the amount of rainfall in cities, the problem is the heavy rainwater coming from the mountains,” Kyrenia mayor Murat Senkul said in a post on Monday night.

He insisted that the overflow of the dam was not due to a lack of infrastructure and described the situation as a natural disaster, calling for the creation of a “national action plan in the north”, as such events were likely to increase in the future

“Anyone who attributes the events in Kioneli to a lack of infrastructure is, to use an everyday phrase, talking nonsense,” he wrote.

While the severe weather conditions equally affected the south, however, only had minor effects on local dams with no significant amounts of water flowing into the reservoirs in the Paphos district, despite the area receiving a rainfall of 113.1mm daily, constituting the second highest daily rainfall in December since 1916, according to the Polis Chrysochous weather station.

Authorities on Sunday, however, closed the road linking Polis Chrysochous and Latchi was closed as heavy rainfall brought about by Storm Byron caused floods in the town and the region.