PAPHOS Mayor Savvas Vergas yesterday announced immediate measures to be applied to a dangerous beach that has claimed two lives this summer.
The beach in the Tombs of the Kings area in Paphos attracts swimmers all year round, despite the fact that it is not classified as a beach designated for swimmers. In the past 10 years, around 12 drownings have been reported in the area, while in the past month alone there have been two.
Since it is not designated for swimmers, the beach is not guarded by a lifeguard. It is dangerous, especially in times of sea tides, due to the presence of underwater currents.
On Monday, Mayor Vargas confronted Paphos district officer Andreas Christodoulides over the responsibility and measures to be taken.
Yesterday, the Paphos Mayor accompanied by Paphos Municipality Beach Committee President, Nikos Simitides, held a meeting at the Paphos beach area with the relevant officials and the management of the hotel in front of the beach.
The application of immediate measures was announced in order to confront the problem.
The mayor announced that access for vehicles to the beach would immediately be closed in order to deter swimmers from reaching the beach.
As a second measure, sea-markers will be placed in the area in order to signal the less dangerous part of the beach recommended for use by the swimmers, who, ignoring all warning signs, still approach the area.
In addition the existing warning signs will be replaced with new ones, which will clearly state in four languages that the beach is very dangerous in times of tides.
The Paphos Municipality also reopened the request for the construction of tide-barriers in the area, which would give a permanent solution to the problem.
On behalf of the Venus Beach hotel management, Apostolis Koutroulios, said that the owner company had offered to cover all expenses for a coastal-engineering study by the Metsovio Polytechnic in order to construct tide-barriers in the area.
He said that the proposal was made about ten years ago yet until now no answer was received and added that today the company could no longer cover the costs for constructing a tide-barrier.
Both Koutroulios and the Paphos Municipality, however, agreed that the cost of constructing a tide-barrier should be borne by the state.
