Cyprus Mail 29 December 2020 - by Annette Chrysostomou
Lake Mangli, one of the few spots where people can enjoy nature in the capital, is yet again threatened to be drained by developers and a petition has been launched to prevent this.
The lake is located in the Archangelos area, next to the linear park of Nicosia, and is a refuge for rare birds and, as the petition says, “an area of incomparable natural beauty and due to the location and the flora that exists there it is one of the few ‘virgin’ parts of Cyprus”.
“Specifically, about a year ago, the cutting of trees near the Pediaios river near Archangelos began while a few days felling near the Mangli lake was extended in order to separate plots and build houses by a well-known private company resulting in the destruction of the natural environment by the felling of trees and most likely the drainage of Lake Mangli in the near future,” the petition warned.
Around the lake is a residential area, giving many people living nearby a chance to get a daily taste of nature and, in the summer especially, to enjoy the proximity of water, it added.
It has been threatened by developers for years, and residents have in the past met to protest against the drainage and urged the Lakatamia municipality to help prevent it.
“The natural environment must be protected, stop its destruction on the altar of money. Help save what we have left!” is the urgent appeal by the petition, which can be seen and signed here http://chng.it/FdwZSCgJfD
