The Cypriot Foundation for the Protection of the Environment (Terra Cypria) expresses its “intense concern” about the size and rate at which land use is changing in the area of Aliki Akrotiri and the large volume of environmental conditions that the Department of the Environment is called upon to oversee, noting that in recent years, seven projects of various types and sizes have been given the green light. For the “very likely coming environmental disaster in the region and alteration of the hydrological balance, the State appears to be unprepared and is trying to solve the problem after the fact with stormwater management studies that seem to remain in the drawers,” the foundation says. in a press release.
In particular, Terra Cypria reports that it observes “the intense and abrupt promotion of several projects north and very close, even adjacent, from the Akrotiri Salt Flats”. On the occasion of various publications in the media about the pressures that Aliki is under, it is added, “the Foundation expresses once again its strong concern about the size and rate of change of land use in the area, but also the large volume of environmental conditions that is called upon to supervise the Department of Environment, for the various projects, while at the same time declaring that it is understaffed”.
As the urban planning zones allow it, based on the Local Plan of Limassol (2013), he notes, in the wider area north of Aliki Akrotiri has seen great interest in developments in recent years.
“In recent years, and as far as we know based on our status as a permanent member of the Environmental Impact Assessment Committee (EIA) of the Department of the Environment, 7 projects of various types and sizes have been given the green light by the Environmental Authority,” notes   ;Christoforos Panagiotou, Policy Officer of Terra Cypria, according to the press release. “For the 7 licensed projects, conditions have been imposed for the management of rainwater through the opinions of the Environmental Authority, but we are particularly concerned that the conditions imposed are individual for each project, and there is no opinion with accumulative conditions for all of the projects and the accumulated effects on the hydrological balance of the area” he adds.
It is noted that Terra Cypria “constantly emphasizes” the need to prepare a Strategic Environmental Impact Study (SES) or a similar study, for the evaluation of the cumulative environmental impacts from all existing and proposed developments in the wider area bordering the Akrotiri Salt Lake to the north. “A reinforcing factor for the need to prepare the above study is the very great biological importance of the Akrotiri Salt Lake and the absence of a sufficient buffer zone between the residential and commercial zones with the Salt Lake”, it states.
For the “very likely upcoming environmental disaster” in the region and the alteration of the hydrological balance, the State seems to be unprepared and tries to solve the problem after the fact with rainwater management studies that seem to remain in the drawers, concludes the press release.
