The head of the north’s met office, Raif Ilker Buran, was sacked on Wednesday after predicting droughts in the coming year.
Buran, who had been in post since 2014, said “I foresee a year in which we will see semi-arid or regional droughts will take place. Due to unbalanced rainfall, there may also be crops in one region and drought in another reason. These predictions are also valid for the world. While one country is parched from droughts, another may see floods.”
Following this statement, he was swiftly sacked.
Speaking on Thursday, Arikli said “Buran’s statement about droughts drew a reaction from the agriculture ministry and other units, and he was dismissed.”
Buran later said that he had been sacked “as a ‘reward’ for opposing the opening of the new Ercan airport terminal before its completion”.
He added that after he had opposed the airport’s opening on July 20, tensions between himself and Arikli grew.
“The minister took revenge on me like this. He should do his best. Everyone knows how I have been working all this time,” he added.
Buran’s sacking also drew the attention of his predecessor and current presenter of the morning weather on the north’s public television channel BRT1.
As he opened his segment, he said “I felt like saying this today, I wanted to say this. Meteorology is such a thing that it covers everything. From agriculture to maritime matters, it covers everywhere in a general sense. Public health is included in this.”
Buran’s statements had come just weeks after biologists in the north had warned against complacency after the Kioneli reservoir dried up.
They had warned against the impacts of climate change, and called on the north’s authorities to “create a rational water policy” given the possibility of climate change causing droughts on the island.
The Cyprus Mail contacted the north’s ‘agriculture ministry’ for comment, but a spokesman said they were unable to comment at this time.