Filenews 14 February 2022 - by Vassos Vassiliou
Fears of a repeat of the phenomenon of Pissouri where a project costing approximately €33 million is underway to try and stabilize the area. As there was no stabilization of the subsoil on which the properties were built, these same fears are now expressed for the area of Paralimni Lake, in view of the revision of the Local Plan of free Famagusta, but also because of the results of the micro-zonal study that was carried out.
According to information provided by "F", the area of Paralimni Lake has been characterized by the Geological Survey Department as a danger zone. The danger is not only focused on the composition of the soil but also on the fact that Cyprus is located in an earthquake-prone area.
According to the same information, the Department considers that due to the unstable terrain, the area should be characterized as a White Zone, so as not to allow its development. It is noted that some parts in the area of the Lake were included in Zone 00A which according to the description of the Geological Survey Department (for all zones with the same characteristics) is threatened by geo risks and is characterized by instability and increased risk. At the same time, these geo risks have a negative and devastating impact on the built environment. In this Zone, no new construction or addition to an existing development / building / construction is recommended. The Geological Survey Department considers that this area should be classified as "Zone 00", i.e. a White Zone. Of course, the Geological Department cannot impose the inclusion of the area in a White Zone, which should be done by the Ministry of Interior, through the Department of Urban Planning. It is noted that the Department of Urban Planning has temporarily declared a White Zone part of the Lake within the boundaries of the Municipality of Sotira. This Zone will remain in force until approximately next May, when the Local Plan is expected to be published, which will also define the Development Zones.
Paralimni Lake, as it was established to be called, although it extends to the boundaries of other Local Authorities, covers a total area of 107Km2 and is demarcated east by the coastal front of Protaras, south by the coastal front of the Municipality of Ayia Napa and a small part of the Municipality of Sotira, north of the fire suppression line as it was formed in 1974 after the Turkish invasion and west by a straight line which encloses within the study area the a larger part of the area of the Municipality of Sotira and a very small part of the Frenarous Community Council.
As far as the urban planning status of an area is concerned, most of it, namely 93.8%, is located in a Protection Zone Da1 and a small part in the southern part is a protection zone Z1 (2.7%).
In the northern part of the area, next to the lake's exit channel, a small part of the area is a Ka8 residential zone (3.2%). In the wider area, within the river basin, there is a variety of urban zones.
As mentioned in a text of the Geological Survey Department, the cores of continuous urban construction and other similar residential zones prevail around the area studied and essentially constitute the residential cores of Paralimni and Sotira. There are also zones of commercial activities and other central functions, agricultural zones, craft zones, etc.
However, the lake's catchment area has been included for the most part in residential zones.
In the framework of the micro-zonal study, 17 visits were made on the spot and in 12 of them, officials of the Geological Survey Department participated.
Troubling the disastrous past
One of the facts that is troubling is the references to the historical times of 76 A.D., 300 A.D., 332 A.D. and 341 A.D. during which, the ancient city of Salamis (the northernmost part of the city of Famagusta) was razed to the ground by earthquakes. According to the same sources of the Geological Survey Department, in 1735 AD part of the then city of Famagusta was razed to the ground by a strong earthquake estimated at 6.6 on the Richter scale. The only reports that have been identified by the state archive refer to the earthquake of 1941, with an epicentre west of the area that was studied in the context of the micro-zone and was of magnitude 6.2 degrees.
Experts suggest that until 1994 the buildings were designed without any particular anti-seismic provisions, while in the period 1994-2012 the Cyprus Antiseismic Code was in force, when, since 2012, the Eurocodes came into force.
If the state decides that the wider area of Limni or parts of it will be included in development zones, the Civil Engineers will be able to support the buildings based on the data that emerged from the micro-zonal study of the free Famagusta.
Lucky in their misfortune from the last earthquake off Paphos, were the residents of Polis Chrysochous, where in the framework of the micro-zonal study that was in progress, nine accelerometers had been installed, who recorded the action of the earthquake and the behaviour of the buildings and the ground, in contrast to the micro-zonal in other areas of Cyprus, where, in the absence of an earthquake, some data was estimated approximately rather than recorded.
The findings are assumed to contribute to more secure design of buildings or confirm the correctness of the data taken into account in the current period.
