Filenews 13 May 2023 - by Ioanna Mantzipia
They confirmed what the residents of Pentakomo and the surrounding communities have been denouncing for some time, who suffer from the stench and pollution caused by the Pentakomo Integrated Solid Household Waste Management Facilities (OEDA). During yesterday's visit of the two committees of the Parliament, Control and Environment to the OEDA, the Auditor General, the Minister of Agriculture, the Director of the Department of Environment, the Deputy Director of the Water Development Department, representatives of the coordinating committee of the nine communities, officers of both departments as well as community leaders of the region were present.
Everywhere rubbish, stench and insects are what the Members of Parliament and the Minister saw and freaked out. The icing on the cake came when an on-site visit was made to a cell (XYTY), where garbage is buried and which has been turned into a mountain of waste and plastic bags. A little further, an artificial lake, where liquids and water often end up, often overflows and polluted black water ends up on land, gardens and orchards of local residents.
During the MPs' visit, the OEDA was out of operation with officials citing a technical issue. It was also impressive that the area had previously been cleared of the huge quantities of waste that existed. Yesterday's picture was not at all reminiscent of the OEDA a week ago, one person said. At the moment, 75,000 tons of garbage are buried in the Pentakomo landfill, with the representative of the contractor citing failures and problems.
After the visits to the OEDA and Pentakomo landfill unit, a meeting was held at the premises in the presence of the Minister of Agriculture and all stakeholders. In statements, the Auditor General, Odysseas Michaelides, said that his service had recorded a number of problems and failures on the part of the contractor. "We consider that it has failed to comply with its contractual obligations and we expect the Contracting Authority to handle the matter with due rigour, so that without further burdening the Cypriot taxpayer, compliance can occur and the burden on the environment and surrounding communities is stopped."
He also noted that the Audit Office has disagreed with a decision of the Contracting Authority approved by the Central Committee to grant 4 million euros to the contractor in the context of his claim, which concerned the construction part without solving the problems. "The main responsibility, if not the exclusive one, lies with the contractor, so he has an obligation to bear the additional costs," he stressed.
For his part, the Minister of Agriculture, Petros Xenophontos, said that what they saw was not pleasant. "Since the plant was received in 2017, it had not worked properly. We are preparing to give a definitive solution, within the framework of legality," he said, stressing that he will wait for the report submitted by the contractor by the end of July and then all the elements will be evaluated.
Green MP and chairman of the House Standing Committee on the Environment, Charalambos Theopemptou, argued that the plant should not have been built in the first place and citizens should collect garbage separately in their homes. "Many millions have been allocated to local authorities to prepare, submit plans and put the system into practice. They will not be able to solve them with the contracts, but it will be solved by not bringing the leftovers to the OEDA."
Regarding the chairman of the Audit Committee, Zacharias Koulias, he referred to the management and supervision of the OEDA, meaning that the management of tens of millions was given to the Water Development Department, with two permanent employees and 8 temporary employees. "And if they had a helicopter these people would not be able to control all these issues that are raised on a daily basis," he said.
