Possible marine pollution being investigated in Paphos

[memory man]

Investigations are underway in Paphos to find out what has caused a milky white substance to be spewed into the sea along the coastline.

A spokeswoman for the Cyprus Green Party said that the move came following a complaint from a member of the public and a lifeguard on duty on Wednesday.

“It has been confirmed that there is a seemingly a direct pipe from a hotel which overlooks a coastal area of Paphos. Some white substance was witnessed yesterday coming out of the pipe and into the sea, where it could also be clearly seen,” she said.

The incident happened at a popular seafront area in Kato Paphos on Wednesday, where hotels and holiday accommodation are found.

The beach and sea were busy at the time. and according to the spokeswoman, people were asked to move from the beach and get out of the sea.

As the pipe is covered by a number of rocks, it is not initially clearly visible, said the Greens, who took both photographic and video evidence.

“The fisheries department and Sapa- the Paphos sewerage board- are looking into the incident and Sapa took samples for testing,” said the spokeswoman.

The Green party also questioned how long the pipe has been there, why the competent authorities only seemed to know about it after complaints from the public, and what actions will be taken to find those responsible for the suspected pollution.

“How will the authorities control the content of the sewage that has seemingly been deposited in the sea, and those who continue to deposit it?” the Green Party said in a statement.

It added that the Greens and the residents of Paphos want answers, and that direct sanctions should be imposed on those responsible.

“However, first they must immediately remove the pipe from the beach,” the statement said.

The entire coastline of Paphos has recently been awarded a Gold Quality Award as a Sustainable Coastal Tourist Destination for 2017, the second consecutive year it has held the title.

This followed on from the recent award of 17 Blue Flags across the district. Three new beaches in the Paphos district were awarded blue flags this year – Neo Chorio, Peyia and Yeroskipou.

http://cyprus-mail.com/2017/07/27/possi ... ed-paphos/