Filenews 7 October 2023 - by Ioanna Mantzipia
Within the next week, three important projects are expected to begin in the community of Pissouri in order to alleviate the chronic problem of soil subsidence. The works will concern both the core of the village and the area "Pissouri Lakes", where construction works were carried out.
As "F" wrote in a previous publication, the new landslide in the core of the village has radically changed the data so far, putting the competent ministries on alert. At a meeting held in early September, it was decided to set up an interministerial committee under the supervision of the Geological Survey Department, which falls under the Ministry of Agriculture.
On Thursday, a new meeting was held in the presence of the Ministers of Agriculture Petros Xenophontos and Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou, officers of the Geological Survey Department, the Water Development Department, Public Works, the Technical Services of the Ministry of Interior, the Limassol District Officer and the president of the community. During the meeting, all stakeholders were extensively informed about the actions that have been determined and the immediate projects that are expected to be executed.
Obviously satisfied, the president of the community of Pissouri, Lazaros Lazarou, told "F" that the actions and measures taken by the involved ministries are in the right direction and are the beginning to provide solutions to the chronic problem presented by the community with subsidence. He pointed out that concrete actions have been decided and projects are expected to start next week.
In addition to the new study that will be carried out by the Geological Survey Department, for the evaluation of all data throughout the area of Pissouri, it has been decided to carry out works concerning a) the removal of water in the "Limnes" area and in the core of the community with several drillings, after the points have been identified by the competent Departments, b) the preparation of wastewater removal infrastructure from specific areas that burden even more the dangerous area and c) the installation of monitoring systems for ground movements.
"For our part, we have expressed our satisfaction to the ministers who showed sensitivity to our request. We wanted the works to start yesterday, as nothing has been executed for a year and a half," Lazarou said, stressing that these projects are low-cost but highly effective. He also explained that the three projects will greatly help the affected areas from ground movements, until they reach final decisions in the next six months. In the near future, foreign experts are expected to assess the magnitude of the problem in order to decide which projects to carry out from those decided some time ago.
Lazarou said that the relevant ministries first want to make sure that the projects that will be executed will be in the right direction and will yield or possibly need some modifications. "We were satisfied with the immediate mobilization of the ministers and the competent Departments, who understood the urgency of the whole situation in our community," he concluded.
