New bicommunal sewerage plant to be built in north

Nicosia Mayor Michalakis Zampelas flanked by the Mayor of north Nicosia currently under Turkish occupation forces, Cemal Bulutoglulari announced that they have reached an agreement to build a new sewage treatment plant in the north.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Nicosia, Zampelas said the project, to cost EUR 47 mln should be finished in two years time and is desperately needed, as the current plant, located in Mia Milia in occupied Nicosia is 33 years old and is destroying the environment.

The existing plant was designed in the late 1960s and was only half completed by the time of the Turkish invasion. It was put into operation in 1980.

At the moment, the plant is run by both the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities.

The Turkish Cypriots are in charge of operations and maintenance, while the Greek Cypriots contribute through the UNDP, where they pay 80% of total costs.

There are however problems for securing the necessary funds to finance the project, with the two Mayors wishing to proceed with only EUR 5 mln in pledged money, in the hope that the EU will eventually pick up the tab.

More problems for the viability of the project arose after the Turkish Cypriots refused to finance the project from the EUR 259 mln pledged by the EU that they are supposed to receive.

“A new plant is the only way to solve the existing problems,” said Zampelas. The existing plant has a capacity of 19,000 cubic metres of water per day, with the new plant able to produce 43,000 cubic metres, which will also be good news regarding irrigation.

“It is the best possible bi-communal project, which will serve hundreds of thousands of people in the Nicosia area,” the Nicosia mayor said. Zampelas added that once the new plant is up and running, the old site will be converted into a green park.