FUEL HAS leaked into a reservoir in Athalassa Park, Forestry and Fisheries Departments confirmed yesterday.
The leakage was discovered over the weekend after visitors to the park noticed an oily substance floating on the surface of the water accompanied by the smell of fuel.
Divisional Forestry Officer George Pattichis told the Cyprus Mail, “There is no suspicion of foul play. We suspect the fuel leak came from a house further up the hill. The fuel was probably washed down into the water by rain.
“This sort of leak is not common. We think it happened as a result of a faulty valve in a heating or water system in a nearby house. We have more or less identified the house in question, but we have a few more checks to make.”
Pattichis said that all the necessary measures to limit the effects of the slick had been taken by the Forestry Department.
“We are working in cooperation with the Fisheries Department. At the weekend we put a special liquid into the water to dissolve the fuel, but at the time we thought the offending fuel was diesel. We now know the fuel was kerosene, so we have used another liquid suitable for dissolving kerosene.
“We have also taken measures to prevent further leakage into the reservoir.”
Asked if the reservoir wildlife had been affected, Pattichis said,
“From what we have observed there is no serious damage to wildlife. There are some ducks and fish in the reservoir but we haven’t seen any damage to them.
“Our people are still researching the incident and we hope to have it all clear soon,” he added.
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.
