Authorities and locals helpless as smell of burning refuse infests surrounding villages
THE SMELL of burning rubbish at a dump site in Tera in Paphos has become unbearable for residents in nearby villages, but the Paphos District Office says little can be done to combat the problem.
Speaking to the Cyprus Mail yesterday, District Officer Andreas Christodoulides said the rubbish dump would be closed at the beginning of next year.
“To be honest, out of all the rubbish dumps in the area this is the one that causes the least of our problems,” he said.
“The problem is with the fires, and they are set off usually be people who, for example, want to burn tyres off wheels so that they can use the metal. But the main reason that fires start is due to chemical reactions in the rubbish which set them off,” he added.
The Tera community Mukhtar, Antonis Markitsis admitted that the residents were furious over the smell and toxic fumes from the fires but said it was almost impossible to deal with the problem.
The rubbish dump was situated in the area to cover the needs of the six communities in the environs of Laona, but has ended up being used by the entire Polis Chrysochous area consisting of 19 communities.
“The area is not strictly our responsibility because it is privately owned,” he said. “And the fact that there’s hardly anyone there, means that truckers unload their rubbish wherever they want.”
Christodoulides and said the issue would be discussed at a meeting next week aimed at introducing some measures that would help contain the smell.
“I will be meeting with a municipality engineer next week to find out whether we can build a wall that would help contain the smoke,” he said.
“We also have to make sure that a fire break in the dump is clear of any flammable substances and we will also work on a plan to get the rubbish dumped closer together and not spread around the area,” he added.
Christodoulides said the problem would be solved when a modern rubbish dump is completed in Marathounta at beginning of next year. He called on the residents to be patient until then when all the rubbish will be hygienically disposed of, or recycled.
