KONNOS BEACH, one of the island’s best beaches and a particular favourite of Nicosia residents, has been very badly damaged by floods resulting from Saturday’s torrential rain and hailstorms, which also caused heavy damage to the nearby Konnos Bay Hotel.
The main part of the beach, tucked into a secluded bay midway along the coast road between Ayia Napa and Protaras, has been stripped of its golden sand by floodwater, which left rocks and mud in its place.
Although yesterday’s scene presented a sad picture to fans of Konnos Bay and neighbouring Cape Greco, Paralimni Municipality’s Beach Inspector Yiorgos Economou said that “everything will be done to ensure that visitors will be able to enjoy the beach next year.”
He said that approximately ten lorry-loads of rocks and debris would have to be removed, and fresh sand will then be sourced from further out to sea to re-landscape the beach.
Although ownership of the whole Konnos area is shared between the municipalities of Paralimni and Ayia Napa, the area is administered by the Forestry Department as part of the Cape Greco National Park.
Yesterday morning, representatives and workmen from all the relevant authorities were present to assess the damage and begin planning the clear-up and repairs on a joint basis.
The damage was not limited to Konnos Beach itself. Floodwater, rocks and debris cut a swathe through the pine trees lining the hills overlooking the bay, washed away part of a log stairway leading down to the beach, and severely undermined the restaurant terrace of the Konnos Bay Hotel. A pumping-station for the sewage system was also damaged, but was very quickly restored to full working order.
Konnos Bay Hotel owner Anastasis Pirillis put the blame for the damage squarely on bad road design and lack of planning.
Pirillis said that the problem started with the new road linking Cape Greco to the highway leading to Protaras, which passes between Konnos Bay and Grecian Park hotels. He said that the Public Works Department did not include large storm pipes in the drainage plans, and instead laid smaller pipes which fed directly into the two hotels’ existing drainage system.
This meant that the thousands of tons of floodwater created by Saturday’s storm simply overwhelmed the available drainage system and found an alternative course down to the sea.
