EU finances closure of biggest waste dump in the north

THE EUROPEAN Commission is providing over €6 million in funding to close the largest waste dumpsite in the northern part of Cyprus near occupied Dikomo.

A statement from the Commission said closure works started on July 26. Works will be carried out by the French company – Le Floch Depollut?on and are to be completed within 21 months.

Quality of works is supervised by a consortium led by the specialised German company – C&E–Consulting und Engineering GmbH. As a first step of closure works, the contractor will put in place the necessary safety and security measures on site. The ground breaking ceremony will take place in September 2010.

Mixed communal, medical and hazardous wastes have been brought to the dumpsite for nearly 40 years. The existing dumpsite was not constructed and managed to protect ground waters, avoid fires, and collect landfill gasses. This dumpsite is today one of the major environmental hot-spots in Cyprus.

Closure of this dumpsite will be done in full compliance with EU environmental, health and safety standards, the Commission said.

The project is only one of the measures funded by the EU in the northern part of Cyprus to ensure modern solid waste management.

“Upgrading of solid waste management to EU standards requires time, support and active involvement from the general public. The European Commission calls for a common effort in making the island cleaner for current and future generations,” said the Commission.

EU funding for the rehabilitation works of the dumpsite amounts to € 6.3 million. The overall EU contribution to improved waste management practices in line with EU standards amounts to €19.5 million.

This project is funded by the EU under the €259 million Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.