Filenews 20 July 2021
Continuous information to the public in order to create forest and environmental awareness in all age groups of the population, is a primary objective for the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, said Minister Costas Kadis in a greeting at the press conference for the launch of the program "Forest Fire Prevention 2021-2022", which is co-organized by the Bank of Cyprus , the SupportCY network, the Non-Governmental Reaction Agency and the Ministry of Agriculture.
"I hope that the pancyprian public information campaign that begins today and will end on September 30, 2021, will be a complete success and I am sure that with your environmental sensitivity, you will all contribute to the effort to protect the natural heritage of our country," he said.
The Minister said that the Programme is supported by many other state and private bodies, which demonstrates that the protection and conservation of forest and rural areas of our country is a priority of the utmost importance to all.
In a greeting read on his behalf by the Director of the Department of Forests Charalambos Alexandros, the Minister said that almost every summer in our country, fires cause immeasurable damage to forests and the countryside, leaving in their wake ashes and restorations, most recently the devastating fire that broke out on 3 July in mountainous areas of the provinces of Larnaca and Limassol, one of the greatest disasters that has ever hit our country.
"Our effort to improve is ongoing. For example, this year we inaugurated the new air firefighting base in Mammari, while the fleet of vehicles of the Department of Forests was largely renewed. In addition, the Department of Forestry's budget from 2016 to date has increased by more than 40%, while the Resilience and Recovery Plan includes a measure of 18 million euros to strengthen the Department's capacity to intervene in fires. A new flight instrument is also included in our Ministry's 2022 Budget. A flight instrument is also included in the Resilience and Recovery Plan measure," he continued.
In addition, he said that at the initiative of the Ministry, he will be in Cyprus and will pay a visit to the fire-affected areas, a scientific team of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, led by Professor of Dynamic Masonic Applied Geology and Natural Disaster Management, Dr. Efthimios Lekkas.
He added that the purpose of this mission is to provide all possible assistance to the affected areas and to help reduce the impact of the large fire.
It is expected that useful conclusions will emerge from the mission at the scene of the fire, which will enrich the recommendations of the working group set up for the immediate implementation of anti-corrosion/flood defence projects, he concluded.
Cna
