The government said Monday it will soon have in hand the recommendations of experts concerning the landslide in the area of Pissouri, which has seriously damaged dozens of properties there throughout the years.
Speaking in parliament, Interior Minister Nicos Nouris said they already have a preliminary report on the situation in Pissouri. Experts and officials from the Geological Survey Department have been asked to read the report and give some further feedback; this is expected to occur by July 22.
Once the experts have weighed in, the ministry will be in a position to announce the timeframe and a road map for any corrective actions.
Nouris described the situation as a major stabilisation project, pledging that the government is determined to move ahead with the residents’ safety being the top priority.
Pissouri community leader Lazaros Lazarou expressed satisfaction, noting that “perhaps for the first time ever, the state is taking the matter seriously.”
For his part, Akel MP Giorgos Georgiou said the preliminary study commissioned by the government provides for three scenarios.
The first involves the construction of embankments on the southeastern side of the area in question. In the second, likewise the construction of embankments coupled with some land expropriations.
Under the third scenario, residents would abandon the area altogether and be compensated.
No insurance company will insure against landslide damage and the properties in Pissouri were built by different developers.
Many of the affected homes have virtually collapsed, the result of a continuous and accelerating landslide, and a number of residences are deemed unfit for habitation. Homes and gardens are ripped apart, walls and pools are collapsing and roads split, buckled and impassable.
Previously, the government had ruled out direct compensation to the affected property owners, because that would be tantamount to an admission of responsibility by the state.
