Cyprus to allocate €4.16 million for fire season preparations

The Council of Ministers of Cyprus has approved the allocation of an additional €4.16 million for measures to prevent and combat agricultural and forest fires. This was announced by Minister of Interior Constantinos Ioannou.

According to him, the decision was made as part of preparations for the summer season, when the risk of fires increases significantly. The funds will be directed towards several preventive measures.

In particular, plans include clearing abandoned agricultural plots near residential areas to reduce the likelihood of fire spreading. Subsidies are also provided for local communities to purchase fire trucks and equipment, and additional bulldozers and other heavy machinery will be rented during the summer.

Part of the funds will be used to purchase small fire vehicles equipped with pumps or autonomous extinguishing systems. Priority will be given to communities located near forests where there is a shortage of equipment.

Furthermore, 20 units of machinery — 12 earthmoving machines and 8 water tankers — will be stationed in the Limassol, Larnaca, and Paphos districts. Their locations were determined based on risk analysis and assessments by operational services.

The Minister noted that €1 million had previously been allocated to 16 communities, and a further €2.1 million will be sent to 23 groups of settlements for land clearing work.

State support for the purchase of firefighting equipment has also been increased, with the subsidy rate rising from 50% to 80%.

The authorities emphasize that the goal of the program is to ensure maximum readiness of services and local communities for the fire season.