Dramatic findings were made before the parliamentary Committee on the Environment about the ecological disaster in Akrotiri Salt Lake and Lake Makria. The focus is on the lack of coordination, illegal discharges and rapid residential development that threatens the extinction of the most important wetland of Cyprus.
The environmental degradation of the Akrotiri Peninsula, an area included in the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance specifically as Waterbird Habitats, known as the Ramsar Convention, equivalent to Natura 2000, has put Parliament's Committee on the Environment on alert. The session highlighted a tangle of responsibilities between state departments, local government and British Bases, with nature itself paying the price.
The alarm was sounded by the Game and Fauna Service, presenting shocking data on the state of avifauna in the area, which is home to 2% of the birds recorded throughout Cyprus. The senior official of the Game Service, Nikos Kasinis, spoke of a collapse of populations, stressing that "while in previous years up to 13.000 flamingos were recorded, their number in the current month was limited to only 47". There was talk of an influx of poor quality water into the lakes, as well as the pressures that the area is under from developments.
It was reported to the Committee that water occurs in Aliki during periods of prolonged drought, which indicates a contaminated water inflow.
Representatives of environmental organizations (BirdLife, Terra Cypria) emphasized that the system has collapsed, as the quality of the water no longer allows the survival of birds.
In his statement, the Mayor of Kourium, Pantelis Georgiou, who took over the coordination of the eight bodies involved (Democracy and Bases) since last September, described a picture of generalized disorder. "There is impunity in the region. The water of the aquifer is at risk of permanent contamination due to the developments, while Asomatos and Akrotiri remain without a sewerage network", stressed Mr. Georgiou.
Mr. Georgiou noted that an extensive Action Plan is expected to be finalized in February in cooperation with the Limassol Municipality and government departments, which will then be discussed with NGOs.
Addressing the members of the Committee, the mayor asked for the help of the Parliament for the issuance of a decree by the Ministry of the Interior, so that the communities of Asomatos and Akrotiri can be immediately integrated into the boundaries of the sewerage system.
He stated that specific sources of wastewater from premises that were not connected to the sewerage network have already been identified and cut in cooperation with the EOA Limassol.
During the discussion, special reference was made to the vertical pipeline that ends in the Lady's Mile area. There were reports of discharge of raw sewage up to 500 tons per hour into the sea, in places where citizens swim and fish.
As far as Lake Makria is concerned, the area was described as a "swamp" and a "sewage site", with environmental organizations complaining that the contractors of large developments discharge water without complying with the licensing terms, irreparably damaging the wetland.
The MPs expressed their strong dissatisfaction with the delay in taking measures. MP Andreas Kafkalias wondered why the central state is unable to coordinate the services, MP Costas Costa made reference to a crime that continues, while the chairman of the Committee, Charalambos Theopemptou, requested the intervention of the Audit Office to carry out an audit on the management of the Akrotiri Salt Lake.
The Environment Committee warned that if immediate action is not taken, "half of Aliki will be lost in the coming years", with the effects being irreversible for public health and biodiversity in Cyprus.
