THE GREEN Party yesterday warned it would take action if Larnaca Municipality did not complete the cleanup of the area near the Salt Lake where a clay pigeon range used to operate.
The range was closed down last year following the deaths of 52 migratory flamingos from lead poisoning caused by the pellets.
A post mortem found 80 pellets in just one flamingo’s stomach.
Green Party deputy George Perdikis told the Cyprus Mail yesterday he planned to visit the area today to see what was going on.
He added that his party was also planning to collect water samples to determine if there was still lead in the water.
In a written statement, the Greens warned the Larnaca Municipality to evict the shooting club and proceed to demolish the installations and clean up the immediate area surrounding them.
Members have refused to leave their clubhouse until the state upholds its promise to build an Olympic shooting range.
Fisheries Department official Myroulla Hadjichristoforou said yesterday there was no immediate danger to the flamingos as the bed of the lake had been cleaned up last year.
Hadjichristoforou said crews had cleaned an area of around10 hectares – toe total salt lake area is approximately 500 hectares – by removing 10 centimetres of mud from the bed.
She assured that no damage had been done to the environment.
“What is left is to demolish the buildings and clean the area around them,” Hadjichristoforou said.
She said the municipality was trying to reach an amicable agreement with the club members, who want the state to provide a place where they could meet before leaving their premises.
BirdLife Cyprus yesterday said they were satisfied with the clean-up job adding, however, that they wanted to see the buildings gone too.
BirdLife’s EU Accession Officer, Martin Hellicar, said the number of flamingos stopping at the Larnaca Salt Lake this year was low – around 360 counted during the weekend — compared to 6,500 at the Akrotiri Salt Lake.
He said this could be due to the small number of shrimp in Larnaca because of the high water levels.
The Agriculture Minister last year revealed that up to 98,000 pellets per square metre had been found in the Larnaca Salt Lake.
Up to 3,800 milligrams of lead were traced in samples near the shooting range while parts of the lake near the airport roundabout had a lead content of 36 milligrams.
A report detailing the situation will soon be submitted to the House Environment Committee.
