By Marinos Pavlikas *
At a time when Greece is still counting its wounds from the deadly fire that hit eastern Attica and the loss of more than eighty unsuspecting residents and vacationers, who were literally trapped in the area, the issue of safety in case of fire on Konnos beach returns to surface. The issue was raised last week by the Mayor of Paralimni, Theodoros Pyrillis, on the occasion of a meeting held at the Holy Diocese of Constantia Famagusta for actions in support of the fire victims of Attica by the Diocese and local authorities of the free province of Famagusta.
In his statements to "Simerini" on Sunday, the Mayor of Paralimni said that the issue of creating access to the beach has been discussed since 2013 between the local Authority, the Department of Forests and the Fire Service, but no action has been taken, while its recent tragic events Attica must raise the awareness of all those who are responsible for the region.
"X-ray" of Konnos
Konnos beach is located in the area of Cape Greco National Park, on the border between Paralimni in the north and Ayia Napa in the south. The only access road to the beach starts at an altitude of about 40 meters from the road leading to Cape Greco. It is a winding road, which at a distance of about 800 meters ends in the parking lot, a few meters higher than the beach, near the cafeteria owned by the Department of Forests. The whole area is under the responsibility of the Department of Forests, which, however, has created in the middle of the route a special dirt escape route with about 29 fire nests.
The road leading to the beach is narrow enough to allow two vehicles to pass at the same time. In addition, during the summer months, due to the small parking lot but also due to the increased number of bathers on one of the most beautiful beaches in our country, many people park their vehicles on the side of the road, making it difficult for visitors to cross from and to the beach, as well as the access to it by ambulance or fire truck in case of accident or fire respectively. In fact, the Mayor of Paralimni pointed out that many times in the past it was necessary to have an ambulance on the beach, with access becoming very difficult, even impossible.
The Forest Department will study solutions
In his statements, the Director of the Forest Department, Charalambos Alexandrou, pointed out that the issue will be raised next September, when the Management Committee of the Cape Greco Forest Park will meet. He also said that all the solutions that are considered necessary for the region will be studied. The solutions that seem to be being studied, however, according to what the Director of the Forest Department stated in "S", are the creation of a second road or the construction of the parking lot near the main road and the access of the bathers either by stairs or by other means, such as a cable car.
Reaction from Ecologists
For its part, the Movement of Ecologists - Citizens' Cooperation, through an announcement by the Member of the Politburo, Alexias Sakadaki, places responsibilities on the Municipality of Paralimni for the existing road infrastructure in the area. Alexia Sakadaki unleashed harsh accusations against the Mayor himself and the Municipality of Paralimni for "exploiting the social feeling for the fire disaster in Mati, Attica, asking for the opening of a second road". As mentioned in the announcement, this beach was designed in such a way that there are various dangers. Therefore, the announcement rejects the solutions for creating a second road or cable car and proposes the closure of the existing road and the passage of visitors on foot.
It is necessary to find a solution
However, the issue will be addressed by the Management Committee of the Cape Greco National Forest Park, which by next September is called to decide the measures it will take to access the beach. It is worth noting, however, that as Konnos beach is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in Europe, it gathers thousands of visitors every day, with their safety, in case of emergency, being a matter of utmost importance.