Outrage over latest waste site U-turn
THE RUBBISH TIP in the Paphos village of Marathounda is set to open again for a further six-month period.
Member of the Cyprus Green party, Andreas Evlavis, told the Cyprus Mail, “This is a ridiculous suggestion and the people in small communities always suffer.
“They think a small number of people live there, and therefore it’s only a few votes lost. The authorities don’t open these dumps close to large residential areas do they?”
Evlavis is concerned that the villagers will suffer again, and questioned why the residents accepted this outcome. The rubbish dump was closed recently, but efforts to find a replacement site, have so far been unsuccessful.
A small site was opened in Mamonia village, but according to Evlavis, it’s no longer in use.
“This was another joke. The site wasn’t the correct place for a rubbish tip. The area which had been cleared for waste was only two or three metres deep, and would only take a couple of months to fill up. We need to have a place, which can operate for at least two years.”
The idea is that the authorities are buying time to enable them to implement recycling facilities in six months.
“Who believes and trusts these people?” he asked. “They say they’re going to recycle, but so far its all talk.”
The area in Marathounda, which is being used to dump rubbish, was previously used to dispose of vehicle tyres.
“They say they’re moving the tyres to another place to make some room. But we need a proper dump and urgently,” Evlavis stressed.
The Greens believe the cost to the environment has been huge, and will be catastrophic, if immediate action isn’t taken.
“Paphos is becoming a huge rubbish dump, and because there isn’t a proper dump, people are using this as an excuse to tip anywhere.”
Evlavis said Paphos’ beauty spots are all falling victim to unscrupulous dumpers.
“We recently followed a truck which dumped a load of tyres in Pikni forest in Kathikas. The police say it’s hard for them to make any arrests, even when supplied with number plates,” he said.
“They said they need to catch them in the act. People are still dumping in Kathikas.”
In addition, the area of Aphrodite’s rock, and many of the villages in Paphos have a problem with dumping.
“We’re very concerned about Paphos rivers being blocked with C and D Class waste. Eighty metres of the river running from Konia village to Debenhams roundabout is blocked with rubbish.
“The river between Mesoyi and Tremithousa is backed up with tyres, rubble and other waste materials. We’re campaigning to stop this, but it’s difficult.’
The Greens underline that authorities have had two years since Marathounda dump was deemed full to capacity, to find a solution.
“They’ve even had an order from the European Union to implement recycling techniques,” he said. “We need to make sure that developers and builders know about these requirements, and help them to reach this point.”
Christakkis Andreaou, the community leader of Marathounda village, acknowledged that he had been informed of the new measure, only after the decision to re open the dump had been made.
He also pointed out, much to his chagrin, that the local community hadn’t been invited to a meeting with the Interior Minister, Neoclis Sylikiotis, to discuss the matter.
Andreaou added his community hadn’t decided as to what course of action they would take over the decision to use the area in Marathounda.
Environment Commissioner Charalambous Theopemptou confirmed that he had visited the area, and described it as “tragic”. He lamented that, “dirt and a foul odour now seem to be characteristics of the area”.
He added that these problems should have been eliminated with Cyprus’s entry into the European Union.
Evlavis said a proper solution must be found, or the community will be in a similar position six months down the line.
