Filenews 18 February 2022 - by Natasha Christoforou
A large lake with stagnant waters, which you quickly realize from the unbearable smell that it is sewage and a large pile of garbage, compose a horrific scenery at the entrance of an apartment complex, reminiscent of a third world country. It is there that human dignity ends and the heavy responsibilities begin...
Dozens of people, most of them asylum seekers from African countries, live in appalling conditions in six apartment buildings, located next to Lake Oroklini. Among them pregnant women, infants and children.
The current situation is a health bomb for the area, since the wastewater from the apartments comes out on the road, while it is not connected to the water supply network. At the entrance of the buildings, among sewage and broken furniture, there are large tanks, which are filled with aquifers, in order for the residents to have water for some days.
The incredible thing is that in order for these people to live in this particular complex, the State pays the owner company, an amount that amounts to several thousand euros per month. For each of the residents, the owner is given 100 euros per month with them giving, as they say, another 25 euros each. In each apartment, four people live, so the company receives 500 euros.
"F", after a complaint he received, was in the area and talked with residents, whose testimonies are shocking, since they describe a situation that the competent Services must immediately investigate.
A mother from Kongo, with a two-month-old infant, told us that the water runs out on the same day that the tanks are filled. "We live over 200 people here. We may be left three to four days without water. When there is water, we heat it in the kitchen to take a bath. Whenever we complain about a problem it is not solved."
Some residents even claim that due to the unsuitable water, they got rashes. "I get this because I take a bath from the water. I get an allergy," says the 19-year-old from Somalia, pointing to his hands.
The day we were in the area, the residents had no water, while in the apartment complex, there was a large pile of rubbish. "We told the owner to bring a car to put them in and he said 'no'. We can't live like that," said a Somali youth.
"We are looking for food in the trash"
The dozens of foreigners, among them one 8 months pregnant and two women with infants, receive a monthly allowance for their living from the State which, as they say, is not enough.
"If you come now to see the fridge, it has nothing inside. There are days when we go out and look in the trash, to see if some people threw something. Many nights I sleep fasting," says Mubarak from Somalia.
Among the occupants was Moha, a Somali teacher. Every day he goes to businesses in Oroklini asking for a job. "If they give me permission, then it's easy to find a job. Do you know why I came here? In my country it has terrorists. Here I sleep in the evenings, because no one is pushing you to do something you don't want. My dream is to find a job so I can survive."
"No comment" from the owner
"F" also contacted the owner of the apartments, who said that due to the pending lawsuits he filed against the Community Council for the water supply network, he does not wish to make any comment.
Very serious complaints from the commune
Serious complaints against the owner, made the Commune of Oroklini, Neophytos Fakontis, stating that the complex does not have a certificate of final approval. Since 2017, the Community Council has proceeded to the cut-off of the water supply network due to a large debt.
"That's why it carries water to apartment buildings, which is forbidden. Twice he intervened in the central water supply system to connect the water and the Police were notified. It had also connected the wastewater of the complex with a rainwater pipeline and the outflow will end up in the lake. The Health Department and the Environment Agency were notified and applied fines. The case is in court."
The Community Council sent letters to the Minister of Interior and the Minister of Labour asking for the closure of the apartment buildings, but also to the Auditor General denouncing the squandering of public money. "These people didn't create a problem and we don't have a problem with them. We have a problem, however, because they live in primitive conditions", Mr. Fakontis indicated.
Since 2017 complaints
The prefect of Larnaka, Odysseas Hadjistefanou, confirmed what the commune said, saying that complaints were made to his office in 2017 and 2018 and that a report of fault was prepared against the owners.
"A fault report was prepared for non-compliance with the terms of approval of the building permit. Synergies had to be made with the competent Departments beforehand, for immediate measures on their part. At the same time, we contacted the Registrar of Companies, from whom we waited a long time to obtain the details of the owners. The report was then sent to the Legal Service for instructions."
He said that when the Department of Environment prepared the out-of-court procedure for the wastewater, the owner refused to receive it and further legal measures were taken against him.
Asked why, after so many irregularities were found by so many state agencies, no immediate action was taken to issue a certificate of unsuitability of the buildings, the prefect of Larnaka said that "the apartment building was not checked, because no application for a final certificate of approval was submitted". He also added that issues related to hygiene conditions fall under the Health Department and the Department of Environment. It is noted that the Deputy Minister of Welfare, Anastasia Anthousi, was informed about this by "F", who said that she will investigate the case and come back.
