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The goal of the Provincial Self-Government Organization is to provide high-level services

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The goal and big bet of the Local Government reform is the Provincial Organization of Self-Government (EOA), to provide improved and higher-level services to the residents of the entire free province of Famagusta, said on Monday  Minister of the Interior Nikos Nouris

In his greeting at the opening of the project “Upgrading of the Sewage Treatment Plant of the Consortium of the Sewerage Boards of Paralimni and Ayia Napa (SAP-SAAN)” Mr. Nouris said that “the project was co-financed by the Cohesion Fund of EU to make possible the increase  of the capacity of the Plant to cover the increasing flows of sewage from the two areas, in the context of the obligation to comply with the Directive 91/271/EEC on Urban Wastewater”.

The co-financing, he said, falls within the framework of the Priority Axis “Management of Solid Waste and Water Resources.

He added that the Wastewater Treatment plant is jointly managed by the Sewerage Boards of Paralimni and Ayia Napa through the Consortium established and then lease of state land based on a decision of the Council of Ministers of 1991.

He explained that later “it was deemed necessary to upgrade the project to cover the increased flow of sewage to the factory, which has been observed in recent years due to the increase in the population and visitors to the area through the parallel increase in infrastructure in hotels, apartments, residences and marinas ».

In recent years, the Minister continued, “the increase in the flow of sewage has brought the existing EEL to the limits of its capabilities” and it was expected that “the flow of sewage would increase and intensify  further until 2030, as a result and above all due to the development of the tourist industry in the area, including the marinas of Ayia Napa and Paralimni”.

“With the project, we directly meet the needs of the area by preventing any unpleasant developments due to the significant difficulties in managing the increased volume of sewage with the existing infrastructure”, he noted.

With the expansion and upgrade of the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WTP) of the Consortium of the Sewerage Boards of Paralimni and Ayia Napa, said Mr. Nouris, “the plant is given the possibility to process 10,000 additional cubic meters of sewage and now reaches 31,000 square meters. per day to cover any increased flow”.

At the same time, he added, “with the expansion of the factory, a significant part of the machinery and equipment of the existing EEL has been replaced so that the EEL can meet the growing needs of the region”.  

As Mr. Nouris said “the completion of the project coincides with the ongoing processes for the implementation of the important reform of the Local Government, which provides for the joint management of the sewage systems, which are grouped at the provincial level under a single Provincial Organization of Self-Government”.

He also stated that “the cooperation of the two Sewerage Boards of Paralimni and Ayia Napa for the implementation of this project, sends hopeful messages for its continuation and optimization, under the umbrella of the Provincial Self-Government Organization, which from June 2024 will take over for the entire free province of Famagusta, the management and provision of water supply, drainage, waste, as well as the responsibility for the licensing of development by issuing the corresponding permits”.

The goal and the big bet of the reform, he continued, “is the operation of the Provincial Organization of Self-Government (EOA), to provide improved and higher-level services to the residents of the entire free province of Famagusta, taking advantage of the synergies resulting from the combination of services and the their joint management by the Provincial organization”.

It is for this reason, said Mr. Nouris, “that the dystocia that arose with the issue of the Temporary Coordinating Council in the province of Famagusta must find the its solution as soon as possible, and in any case with the reopening of the Parliament next March”.

According to Mr. Nouris, the Ministry of the Interior, wanting to ensure that the province of Famagusta does not lag further in the preparation of the operation of the new EOA, assumed a coordinating role by keeping the members of the temporary coordinating council informed of all the guidelines issued by the Central Consultation Commission, thus helping in every way to overcome the problem that arose.

The Minister congratulated all the contributors who have contributed to the smooth implementation of the project and referred to the fact that the project is of significant environmental value, with many benefits for public health, since it reduces the risk of pollution of the environment and underground water resources.

“It will further support the effort to utilize renewable resources, sustainable development and the protection of the water environment, achieving the goals deriving from the European Directive on the treatment of urban wastewater and water,” he said.< /p>

In his own greeting, the President of the Paralimni – Ayia Napa Sewerage Boards Consortium, Mayor of Ayia Napa Christos Zannettou stated that the  factory has to date a total cost of approximately 115 million euros.

The project was designed and supervised by the Finnish company “SOIL & WATER” after international offers made through the World Bank, which was the main financier of the Project together with the Council of Europe Development Bank and the European Investment Bank )”.

He added that the plant was put into operation on April 15, 2002 and involved the construction of the required infrastructure to process 12,000 square meters. of wastewater annually at a cost of approximately 15 million euros.

“In addition to this amount, the State, through the Department of Water Development, spent the amount of approximately 7 million euros for the construction of the secondary treatment tanks and of the infrastructure for tertiary water treatment”, he said.

As Mr. Zannetto said “the Paralimni – Ayia Napa sewage project has solved to a large extent a huge environmental problem which had a direct impact on the health of residents of the area, while he made a decisive contribution to maintaining the cleanliness of the beaches of Protaras and Ayia Napa, as a result of which we now have the most blue flags in Cyprus”.

Source: www.reporter.com.cy

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