The elaboration of the Management Plan for Lake Paralimni has been "stuck" in the expropriations for more than eight years. According to information from Famagusta.News, the issue of preparing a Management Plan for Lake Paralimni, is coming and going from the Government to the owners of the plots of land in the lake, with proposals, counter-proposals and revocations for expropriation, with prices quite low in in relation to the existing parcels which were bequeathed to them.
Watch the only video from Lake Paralimni recorded by the Famagusta.News drone:
Lake Paralimni has been designated as a site of Community importance (SCI) as well as a Special Protection Zone (SPA) for birds and belongs to the European Ecological Network Natura 2000. Also the area has been designated as a Special Conservation Zone (SAD) under Article 13 of the Nature Protection and Management of Nature and Wildlife Law [L.153 (I) / 2003], an obligation arising from the European Directive 92/43 / EEC.
For the purpose of preparing the area, it was decided to expropriate the area in May 2011. Three years later (2014) the decision was revoked, provoking reactions from the landowners. In an assessment of the situation made in 2015 “by the competent departments of Environment and Land Registry and Surveying, it was found that to ensure satisfactory compliance of the Republic, both with the decision of the European Court of Justice and with our obligations under the Habitats Directive (92/43 / EEC), it appears that land use restrictions will be required to ensure adequate protection of species and habitats, in particular the Natrix natrix cypriaca water snake, within the Special Conservation Zone "Lake Paralimni-C3000008", will result in deprivation of universal use of the property.
In fact, in a letter sent on January 21 by the MP of the Movement of Ecologists-Citizens' Cooperation, George Perdikis to the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, he notes that in fact, the acquisition by the state either by expropriation or lease of land of the Lake seems inevitable ”(excerpt from the answer dated 17 July 2015 of the former Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Mr. Nikos Kougialis to a previous parliamentary question with no. 23.06.010.04.536).
In the letter, the President of the Movement of Ecologists - Citizens' Cooperation invites the competent Minister to inform the House of Representatives how the issue of the expropriation of private land in Lake Paralimni has progressed so that the works for the implementation of the management plan for the implementation of the management plan can proceed unhindered. habitat of community importance of Lake Paralimni.
It is pointed out that the separation of pieces in Lake Paralimni dates back to before the British occupation, while according to the testimonies of the inhabitants, in earlier years, and during the period of its natural drying during the summer months, Lake Paralimni was used for agricultural purposes and mainly for cultivation. .
The property status
The overwhelming percentage of the area of the SPA of Lake Paralimni concerns areas divided into private plots. Specifically, 89,7% of the lake is private land and 10,3% of its perimeter is Halite land.
For the purpose of completing and implementing the Management Plan, it was deemed mandatory by the Government to expropriate the properties within the protection zone.
The area of the residential zone of the lake was determined by two Regulatory Administrative Acts (KDP 77/81 AND 92/88) as Zone C 'with building rates of 25% for hotels and 20% for residences. Then, with the first local plan of Paralimni, in 2007, the zones were modified with a reduction of the coefficients in the specific area with a change of the zone from C, to Da1, something that reduced the coefficients from 25% and 20%, to 0,5% and 0,5% for hotels and houses respectively.
On May 20, 2011, the forced expropriation of property was announced, following previous legal adventures in the Republic of Cyprus with complaints to the European Court for non-protection of the lake, which has been designated a Site of Community Importance and joined the Natura 2000 network, mainly for protection purposes. water snake. The owners had previously been informed by the Government of their intention to compensate them on the basis of the previous urban zone, ie zone C and not Zone Da1, compensation which was accepted by the owners with a reservation on the amount, since the initial assessment by on the Government side was € 12,5 million, the owners estimated at € 70 million.
Nevertheless, while the court decision on the value of the property and the amount of compensation was pending, on February 28, 2014 the Government announced the revocation of the expropriations while a proposal before them was its exchange with forest land.
Almost seven years later, the stagnation observed in the issue of expropriation, leads to the growing degradation of the wetland, since the implementation of a management plan would loosen the hands of both the Government and the local authorities for the development of the area.
Fears of mosquitoes but also flood
Besides, in a meeting last Wednesday (22/1/2020) at the Larnaca City Hall in the presence of the Mayors of Paralimni and Larnaca but also the departments of Forestry, Agriculture, Thira and Fauna and Health Services of the Ministry of Health,
During the meeting, they discussed the measures to be taken to combat mosquitoes in the above lakes in a timely manner, in order to protect public health and reduce the nuisance caused to the public.
It is pointed out that fears are expressed by the residents of the Municipalities of Paralimni, Deryneia and Sotira who live around Lake Paralimni, intense fears of infectious diseases arising from the concentration of large populations of mosquitoes and other insects. At the same time, fears are expressed about the possibility of flooding during a period of heavy rainfall, mainly due to the water level that is collected in the Lake and the altitude of the south side of the Municipality of Paralimni.
Complaints of the Bird Association for the drainage of Lake Paralimni
For its part, the Bird Association in today's announcement denounces the loss of a significant amount of water from the habitat.
As stated in the announcement of the Bird Association, "Removal of the embankment that closes the irrigation canal of the Lake has been observed. Although the exact reasons for the removal of the embankment at this time remain unknown, behind this act are pressures that are anything but mysterious. "
Through its announcement the Bird Association "Denounces the incident and calls on the state to take immediate action to stop the outflow of precious water from the Lake and to implement a proper and comprehensive water and area management program, which is designated as a Natura 2000 area."
In fact, as stated in the announcement, "Attempts to drain the Lake have been made again in the past as a result of the pressure resulting from the uncontrolled housing development on the shores and inside the Lake. "Such incidents, the announcement continues, are not only a cause for concern, especially in view of the breeding season of the species that occur in the Lake, they also reveal the systemic gaps that still exist for the proper management of our protected wetlands."
Lake Paralimni has been included in the network of protected areas Natura 2000, due to its importance for the birds but also for the endemic and very rare Water Snake Natrix natrix cypriaca, which is on the verge of extinction. It is recalled that in 2012 the European Court sentenced Cyprus for the lack of protection of Lake Paralimni, its tolerance to excessive water pumping, the presence of a motocross track within the area and residential development.
As pointed out in the announcement of the Bird Association, "Eight years later, Cyprus does not seem to have learned its lesson, since to date no serious effort has been made to effectively protect the region. Lake Paralimni is still the prime example of mismanagement of a Natura 2000 protected area in Cyprus, as the Lake, in addition to deliberate drainage, suffers from inconvenience and degradation due to inadequate management, uncontrolled access, poaching and illegal trapping and other , while at the same time the pressure for residential development around the Lake and its catchment area is increasing. ”
In the announcement, the Bird Association asks for "Proper management of the Lake so as to take into account the needs of the species of determination, ie the species for which Lake Paralimni is protected, among which are Pelocaterina Vanellus spinosus, Kalamokannas Himantopus himantopus and the endemic Water Snake Natrix natrix cypriaca. Ptinologikos asks the state to stop tolerating destructive activities in Lake Paralimni and to implement a proper and long-term management plan of the Lake, for the birds, the endemic Water Snake and also for the people, so that they can enjoy this wonderful wetland that is needed desperate care. ”
It is pointed out that according to information, for the transfer of water from Lake Paralimni to the underground aquifer, relevant measures are taken following specific actions based on a protocol, by the Coordinating Committee of the Irrigation System of Paralimni, through a canal which operates for the enrichment of the underground aquifer. also contributes to the prevention of flooding of houses and the area of 1st of April Avenue.
Famagusta.News