More than 70,000 smart water meters will be installed in the Nicosia district between now and the end of the year, following the signing of an agreement for the meters’ provision by the district government and the Cyprus telecommunications authority (Cyta) on Wednesday.

In total, 72,000 meters will be installed at a cost of €6.5 million, with the project being “co-financed” by the European Union via the ‘Thaleia 2021-2027’ cohesion policy programme.

The first meters will be delivered in August, with deliveries to be completed in eight batches of 9,000 by the end of the year.

According to the district government, “priority” will be given to the suburbs of Lakatamia and Strovolos, to central Nicosia, and to villages such as Lythrodontas and areas in the south of the district.

It added that the village of Kato Pyrgos has been “put into the framework” of the plans, and that its remote location “makes remote information gathering particularly important”.

The smart meters will be connected to a mobile application, with people able to monitor their own water consumption in real time using the application.

District governor Constantinos Yiorkadjis said at the signing that “the big difference with smart water meters is their ability to remotely record water consumption daily, instead of the bimonthly meter checking which currently takes place”.

He added that the technology will allow the public and authorities to detect leaking pipes earlier.

“Immediate savings of water will be achieved, as we will know in real time about a leak or accidental overconsumption,” he said.

On this matter, he said that the first installation of smart water meters in Nicosia’s old town two years ago had been a success, with 1,800 cubic metres of water – 3.8 million pints – being saved every fortnight through the early detection of leaks alone.