AUDIT OFFICE - PAPHOS IS RUNNING OUT OF BOULDERS - IN ANDROLYKOS THEY BANISHED FRUIT BATS, CAUSING A REACTION FROM THE EU - Filenes 17/3 by Vassos Vassiliou
At least until 2050 there will be stocks of material for the construction of towers, the construction of roads and in general all kinds of infrastructure, although the extraction process will cause environmental impacts even to the detriment of the protected Egyptian fruit bat in which the EU itself is interested.
Otherwise, Paphos is running out of boulders to the point that even the operation of a quarry in the Paphos forest or the transport of material from Parekklisia in the Limassol District was considered, which would skyrocket the cost while at the same time the quarried boulders are not suitable for some marine projects.
Besides, quarry licenses are delayed in being issued, debts from some quarrymen are not collected, some illegalities are not prosecuted, inspections are not carried out and so on.
The above results from a report by the Audit Office to the Department of Mines and Quarries, which does not seem to comply with the recommendations submitted by the previous report of 2019.
In addition to the findings and suggestions of the Audit Office, the report also provides interesting information from the existence of 132 quarries, of which 18 were in the restoration stage of the quarry site.
It is worth noting that for various port projects under construction or under promotion, blocks with an area of 1,636,700 cubic meters are required throughout Cyprus, while for some developments it has not yet been estimated how many thousands of cubic meters of material will be required, so the needs will increase.
Especially for the available reserves of the Paphos district, it is reported that it has been facing adequacy problems over time, with the total number of boulders that can be extracted from the quarries of Androlykos reaching 130,000 m3 (cubic meters) which is not enough for the needs of the expansion of the port in Latchi. According to the Mining Service, the boulder reserves of the new proposed Quarry Zone (L.Z) of Androlykos, for which studies are being carried out, amount to 425,000 m3.
In general, for the quarry materials of Androlykos, according to data from the Mines/Quarries Service, until December 2025 the available licensed reserves of two quarry privileges amounted to approximately 3,100,000 cubic meters. The sales of the one company operating (from 1993 until December 2025) amounted to 1.3 million tons of rock, representing only 6.5% of the total rock sales in the Quarry Zone. At the same time, the available stocks of two other companies have been exhausted.
Regarding the total stocks in free Cyprus, it is stated that according to the results of the Strategic Study, no significant shortage of basic raw materials is expected for the aggregates or cement industry until 2050, since the data per material type show that Cyprus as a whole has sufficient quantities for almost all raw materials. However, the distances required to transport them between provinces, in order to serve remote construction projects, are neither efficient nor sustainable.
Therefore, the projected shortfall for certain materials in some provinces, in the event that the largest increase in demand occurs, per year, based on the above scenarios, needs to be addressed, either through the procurement of extractive materials from other regions or provinces, or by exploiting possible future confirmed stocks which, for the time being, are recorded as potential, or through other alternatives.
Moreover, according to the Annual Report of the Mines/Quarries Service (for the year 2024), Cyprus is considered self-sufficient in stocks of quarrying materials that can be used as raw materials in buildings, roads, dams, marinas, ports, and other construction projects.
However, as noted by the Auditor General, Mr. Andreas Papaconstantinou, the Strategy for the Sustainable Mining and Quarrying Development of Cyprus 2021-2050, which was prepared in 2022 and aimed at developing a long-term integrated policy, did not start to be used.
The report states that in the 2019 special report, it was found that in two cases, planning permits were issued to companies outside the quarry zone, for which, however, the required environmental studies were not carried out, as required by the relevant legislation.
It is also stated that in the same report there was a reference to the examination of an application for the granting of a planning permit by derogation and that it was found that approval was given by the (then) Council of Ministers, without sufficient justification for the decision.
In addition, it was found that a Quarry Privilege was issued to a company, within the area of a Special Protection Area (SPA) of the Natura 2000 Network, without the preparation of the planned Special Ecological Assessment Study (SAA).
The Auditor General also observes that in this case a period of eight years was determined by the Mines/Quarries Service, instead of two, which was provided for by an essential condition set by the Environmental Authority in its relevant opinion.
The Report refers to a time-consuming process of examining applications for the issuance of planning permits for the development of a quarry. Specifically, of the 29 applications for planning permission for quarry development submitted during the period 2020-2023, only 14 had completed the examination process by the date of the audit, with five showing a delay of between 1-2 years and the remaining ten a delay of more than two years.
Regarding the expansion of a quarry in the Androlykos Quarry Zone, it is stated that:
-It seems to have negatively affected the presence of the protected species of Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus), as one of their colonies, located near the quarry, was abandoned due to disturbances. It should be noted that this species requires "strict protection" in accordance with Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora. Therefore, in this light, the examination of the possibility of creating a new Quarry Zone in the area requires a thorough study of the impact, among others, on this species, which, within the EU, lives only in Cyprus. It has also been included in the species selected in the context of the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, to achieve a target of favourable conservation status or at least a positive conservation trend of at least 30% by 2030 and in the national commitments of Cyprus.
-The possible significant indirect effects on the species and habitats of the Special Protection Zone from the shrinkage of the Agricultural Zone in the Community of Androlykos have not been assessed, due to the possible creation of a new Quarry Zone.
-The proposed Quarry Zone in the Community of Androlykos is located within the Drilling Protection Zone and in an area where the condition of the Groundwater System was characterized as poor, while a degradation of its quantitative status was also recorded. -According to the Department of Geological Survey (TGE), the ongoing quarrying of the area, which will potentially be brought about by the possible creation of a new LZ in the area, may reduce the enrichment of the aquifer by up to 160,000 cubic meters of water per year.
The Mines/Quarries Service filed a complaint with the Police of the contractor of the project for the Restoration of the Uncontrolled Waste Disposal Sites (uncontrolled waste disposal sites) of the districts of Larnaca/Famagusta, for unpaid fees for quarry materials, amounting to approximately €270.00. (including charges for delays), which were used in part of the project, requesting that legal action be taken against it for non-compliance with obligations. This process is ongoing.
In his preface, the Auditor General also finds the following:
• Delays in licensing procedures: 29 applications for planning permission for quarry development were submitted during the period 2020-2023 and the examination process was completed for only 14.
• Gaps in the implementation of the European and national framework: The Republic of Cyprus has not yet adopted rules for the imposition of sanctions for violations of the European Critical Raw Materials Regulation.
• Delay in the promotion of strategic policies: Despite the fact that the Strategic Study was prepared in June 2022, it has not yet been evaluated, due to disagreements between Departments involved, and remains at the level of a service proposal with the risk of becoming delayed.
• Delays and gaps in quarry management: Undocumented guarantee calculation and late submission of annual reports without imposing penalties.
Despite the above findings, positive developments are also recorded in individual issues where the competent services have adopted some of the recommendations of our Service, improving specific administrative practices and control procedures.
The Audit Office emphasizes that the exploitation of natural resources must be combined with strict environmental protection and full compliance with European and national legislation. The rational and sustainable management of the mineral wealth of the Republic of Cyprus is fundamental for economic development, environmental protection and biodiversity conservation.
