“The river is not a plot of land” – Protest in Platres after complaints about interventions in Kryos river – Members of the Environmental Movement protested with banners and placards
Members of the Environmental Movement – Citizens Cooperation as well as other citizens, protested on Saturday, at Pano strong>Platres, after the complaints about interventions in the Kryos river from the construction of a residence. The President of the Movement, Giorgos Perdikis, spoke of data from TAU that demonstrate illegal interventions and other developments in the area that affect the environment.
The gathered held banners and placards with slogans such as “No to raping nature“, “Hands off our rivers“, “Illegality of upper rivers”, “No other environmental crimes”, “The river is not a plot of land” and “Nature belongs to nature”.
- The EOA of Limassol is preparing a work suspension order for a house under construction on the riverbed. “We are investigating the complaints”
In his statements, Mr. Perdikis stated that he has a first update from TAU “which confirms that there are buildings in the river and we consider it unacceptable that permission was given by the competent authorities to build this extremity”.
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“Generally we believe that in the area of Platres many developments that affect the environment, affect the river, the dam at Pera Pedi and the growers and there must finally be a general intervention, which concerns, not only the specific building, but also all the developments that take place in the area”, he added .
Asked about the resulting responsibilities, if it turns out that illegal interventions have been made in the river, Giorgos Perdikis said that, on the one hand, there is responsibility on the part of the architect, who is also the owner of the building and should follow the laws but also the ethics and not to destroy the natural environment, “simply to build a building for oneself and to enjoy nature alone”. At the same time, he emphasized that it is unacceptable that a Planning Permit was given and attributed the main responsibility to the Department of Town Planning and the Local Authorities.
He also thanked all those who attended and the brothers Spyros and Dimitris Passias who identified and published in the MKD the specific issue, when they tried to swim in the area, as they have been doing for the last 20 years.
As they mentioned, moreover, the two brothers, since they were 10 years old, enjoyed swimming in the Kryos river but this year they found that they could not, due to the construction work on the residence, while they called on citizens to be aware of the prevention of any action that endangers the natural environment.
As the President of EOA Limassol had stated, on Saturday, to the Cyprus News Agency, Yiannis Tsouloftas, the issue will be investigated and at the beginning of the week a decree will be issued suspending work on the house, while the Provincial Land Office will be requested to record the position of the river and the plot to determine whether the conditions of the Water Development Department are being met.
