CYPRUS EXCEEDED the allowed percentage of atmospheric dust on 179 occasions in 2006. According to EU regulations, each member state is allowed to exceed the levels on a maximum of 35 times per year.
Measurements of dust levels in the air are taken on a daily basis from nine monitoring stations located throughout the island. Two monitoring stations exist in Nicosia, Limassol and Larnaca. There is one station in Paphos, one in Zygi and another in Ayia Marina.
The high levels of dust in the atmosphere in Cyprus are attributed to many different reasons. Savvas Cleanthous, the Head of the Air Quality Section of the Labour Ministry, explained the main reasons behind these alarming readings.
“This dust originates both from human involvement and from natural sources. The main problem in Cyprus is due to the drought. Up to 20 per cent of the dust is due to salt from the sea – something which is not unhealthy.
“Another percentage is from dust which blows over from the Sahara desert and some originates from agricultural sources, from the roads, uncovered parking places, central heating and many more sources,” Cleanthous said.
The report was appeared on the front page of daily newspaper Politis yesterday, but claims by the newspaper that the EU is ‘sharpening its claws towards Cyprus’ and is ready to impose sanctions because of the high dust levels are far-fetched. Cleanthous told the Mail that the phenomenon is not unique to Cyprus.
“Because the problem with dust is an issue for most, if not all member states, the EU acknowledges this and is giving an extension for the implementation of the measures. There have been no alarm bells from the EU yet, but we do need to show that we have began implementing measures in attempt to reduce the levels,” he said.
According to Cleanthous, a meeting is set to take place with all the municipalities and the relevant ministries and organisations that have a say in the matter so that all proposals can be put forward and all opinions can be heard.
Details of the action plan which is to be presented to the Commission in the first six months of 2007 were revealed by Cleanthous. “The plan involves improvements in the traffic situation in the centres of towns, the modernisation of buses and the improvement of school bus services, the cleaning of the roads so that dust particles are not re-suspended into the atmosphere as well as the covering of open municipal parking places,” he went on to say.
Cleanthous said other measures, such as the prohibition of burning scrub by farmers, are already in place it is just a matter of finally implementing them, as well as making everyone aware of the problems they could be causing the atmosphere if they continue to act in such a way.
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