In recent days, residents and visitors of Limassol have witnessed an alarming phenomenon that has caused widespread public resonance.
A strange substance resembling slime was spotted in the city’s waters, prompting local environmental activists to issue a sharp statement directed at the authorities. The chairman of the district branch of the Ecologists Movement, Andreas Mavrikios, called on the responsible officials to resign from their posts, accusing them of negligence and inability to protect the coastal zone.
The Armonia beach in the Ayios Tychonas area has been particularly affected, where the surface of the water was covered with a mysterious white film. However, the most shocking incident occurred on 15 August, when holidaymakers who entered the water encountered a real stream of household waste. Instead of clean sea water, they found themselves surrounded by nappies, sanitary pads and other rubbish, which points to a possible discharge of untreated sewage or wastewater.
The picture was aggravated by the fact that for several days eyewitnesses reported the appearance of a brown mass, foam and cloudy suspension, as well as a sharp putrid smell spreading along the embankment. Outraged bathers are actively sharing photos and videos of this nightmare on social networks, demanding an immediate investigation and action from the regulatory authorities.
In his emotional online address, Andreas Mavrikios emphasised that the pollution is not a short-term malfunction but has been continuing for several days, while the official authorities, according to him, “do not want to notice the problem and are absent from the scene of events.” The activist does not hide his indignation, rhetorically asking how one can talk about prestigious “Blue Flags” and the concept of sustainable cities if the water in which Cypriot children swim has turned into a breeding ground for waste.
Mavrikios does not mince his words, calling the local governing bodies “decorative,” which disappear the moment real responsibility for the situation is required. He notes that endless correspondence and mutual blame-shifting are going on between the municipality, state structures and shipowners, while the sea continues to fill with filth. The ecologist directly states that if such a management system is incapable of coping with elementary tasks, then the only correct step for the officials will be to resign.
In addition, the activist insists that the authorities immediately install warning signs along the coastline informing of the deadly danger of swimming in these waters. He warned that this is only the beginning of public pressure and promised to publish one photo of the sea dump every day until it becomes impossible for the officials to appear in the city out of shame.
It is worth noting that this incident is not the first of its kind in the region this month. Earlier there was information about the overflow of treatment facilities in the Moni area, also belonging to the Limassol district, from which untreated sewage was pouring directly into the sea. The main problem was the critical overload of the local pumping station, which is forced to accept an additional volume of wastewater from the plant under repair in Vati. The volumes of discharges turned out to be so large that the local community council was forced to intervene in the situation privately, trying to protect the coastline.
At the moment, official bodies have not yet confirmed a link between the latest complaints from holidaymakers and the previous incidents at the treatment plants. However, the current environmental situation in Limassol is causing serious concern among ecologists and the local community, which is demanding a transparent investigation and the immediate cessation of harmful discharges into the coastal waters of Cyprus.
Source: cyprus-mail.com
https://cyprusbutterfly.com.cy/news/more-rajone-limassola-plavaet-musor
