Filenews 17 September 2021 - by Pambos Vasilas
One step before its substantial upgrade, which will consolidate it in the European map of salt marshes with huge benefits from a tourist point of view and not only, is the Salt Lake of Larnaka.
According to the exclusive information of "F", a legislatively elaborated proposal of the Department of Forests, which provided for the concession of the land where the Environmental Center of Aliki is to be created, to the Environment Agency, is brought before the Council of Ministers very soon before the Council of Ministers. Sources of Larnaka Municipality told "F" that the important development occurred just a few days ago and provided that already at a political level, (Minister of Agriculture), there is already a positive attitude, it is expected that the Ministry will approve the transfer.
The projects, the same sources add, will be around €1.5 to two million and are expected to start early in 2022, as the plans exist but only need some modifications. Moreover, because the project will be co-financed with the European Union, in order to be within time frames, it must be completed in 2023.
More specifically, the design of the Environmental Center of Aliki, which will be managed by the Environmental Service and not by Larnaka Municipality, as it would like, includes:
>> Creation of an Environmental Center with modern means of learning in the area where until recently, there were the facilities of the former Leper Colony. From this infrastructure the only thing that will remain for religious reasons and as a memory, will be the well-known chapel of Agios Charalambos, protector of lepers.
>> Construction of a bridge fully adapted to the environmental character of the wider area. The original design, which had been made years ago, but for another area of Aliki, also included a playground, a cafeteria, etc., but now they will have to be adapted to the new location that has been chosen.
Specifically, the Environmental Center of Aliki had been selected from the period 2012-2013, to be created near the area of the park of Aliki, south of the mosque Chalas Sultan. However, its creation was suspended in 2013 due to the "haircut" of banks' deposits and the entry of Cyprus into the MoU.
Significant benefits for the city of Zeno
Aliki and Larnaka are in the Network of European cities that have been on the edge of salt marshes for more than five years, a fact that has already reaped benefits for the city of Zeno and Cyprus. While Larnaka in the past also served as vice-president of the institution. According to sources of Larnaka Municipality, taking into account this and the high traffic of the site by foreign tourists, the absence of an environmental centre from the main Salt Lake of Larnaca, was a serious shortage for the city. With its creation, it is expected to increase the number of visitors, but also from schools, universities, etc. whose pupils and students will now have the opportunity of training in the field.
In addition, the presence of state officials for many hours of the day on the northern outskirts of Alyki, will increase the surveillance rate of the area in general, preventing as expected arbitrary interventions and disasters that are taking place today.
