A legislative solution to the impasse in areas affected by pollution harmful to human health is being prepared by the Human Rights Committee, aiming to establish the human right to live in a healthy environment.
A discussion at the Commission's meeting on Monday highlighted the chronic problem of those whose health is affected by the presence of polluting activities in various parts of Cyprus. Emphasis was placed on the fact that those affected are required to engage in marathon legal battles to secure the right to live in a healthy environment, with the result that those who become seriously ill often pass away without justice.
The aim of the process that has been launched is to draw up a legislative proposal that will cover the protection of the environment - and by extension the health of residents - in areas where industrial activity is present, but will also serve to establish cases in case affected citizens bring those responsible for pollution to justice.
The problem was raised during the discussion that the right to a clean environment is neither enshrined in the Constitution nor in European legislation and that the right to life, or to a decent living, or to the protection of property must be implicitly invoked in legal actions.
With the participation of experts, specialists and representatives of the competent state services, "shocking facts" emerged during the debate, according to Committee President and AKEL MP Irene Charalambidou, about areas with a history of environmental contamination that have had an impact on citizens' health, causing chronic or acute illnesses.
Conveying data from the European Environment Agency, Ms Charalambidou said that in Cyprus it is estimated that 600-800 premature deaths occur due to poor air quality. In her statements, Ms Charalambidou said that the controls that are carried out are not sufficient, and there is an issue in the monitoring and measurements related to pollution from industrial plants. She also expressed "dissatisfaction with the fact that they have not yet mapped areas with increased cases of cancer or other diseases", despite the fact that this is currently facilitated by the computerisation of the YESY.
Chairing the meeting in an auxiliary capacity, the MEP of the Ecologists, Charalambos Theopeptou, said that "unfortunately people are unprotected" against pollution phenomena and recalled the recent example of residents affected by air emissions from asphalt factories in Dali. "The state gives subsidies to move these factories from region to region without providing a solution," he added. She concluded that, apart from any legislation, "above all, the behaviour of the state needs to change" and called it unacceptable to give warnings to factories before inspections are carried out.
DISY MP Rita Theodorou Superman said that there is also an issue with urban zones, since as residential areas grow, a problem arises from their proximity to industrial zones.
The government's willingness to take action on such issues was welcomed by DISY MP Fotini Tsiridou, stressing that this issue "cannot be a field of political confrontation" and calling for a synthesis of views. He also spoke about the work of the President of the Human Rights Committee of the Pancyprian Bar Association. Particular emphasis was placed on the problem with the concentration of lead in the soil and the atmosphere in the Ergates Larnaca area, during the operation of the foundry. As Mr. Voniatis explained, the elevated levels of lead, which particularly affected children, can result in everything from mental retardation and problems with kidney function to problems with bone development. In the case of the Astrasol plant, he said that studies showed that brain cancers were an effect of the concentration of dichloromethane, a substance that can have an effect up to 15 years after the plant's closure, he explained, which was never tested, according to Voniatis.
The Commissioner for Administration and Protection of Human Rights, Maria Stylianou Lottidi, said that in response to a complaint from residents of the parish of St. Constantine and Helen of Idali, it was found that there was no requirement to secure a permit for the emission of gases from an industrial plant in the area. "This unspecified way of operating the factories caused damage to the atmosphere and consequently to the quality of life of the residents, without anyone being able to exercise control and bring the matter to justice," explained Ms. Lottidi, adding that in the same area, the factories were operating with the tolerance of local authorities without final permits, while it was not clear how the neighbouring residential areas were affected, even if the plant remained within the boundaries of the industrial zone.
Environment Commissioner Celia Vassiliou stressed that consideration should be given to the creation of an environmental control branch covering all departments. "The bet for all of us is how the 99 different environmental laws will be applied holistically and have an effect," she added, concluding that the new Directorate General for the Environment would help with the problem of fragmentation of responsibilities.
On behalf of the Cyprus Lung Society, Dr. Harris Armeytis said that "when a lung cancer occurs, without a history of smoking, or family history, environmental factors must be measured" and stressed that it would be good to have an address registration to achieve case mapping. "As a pulmonary society, we want to create such a record in order to detect early enough where there is a problem and prevent the onset of diseases," he concluded.
Associate Professor of Environmental Health at CUT, Konstantinos Makris, said that "if we continue the scenario as it is, the impact on the affected areas will intensify, targeting socio-economically vulnerable groups." He proposed the establishment of environmental and public health observatories at the level of municipalities and communities.
The need for a "legal window" that takes into account the potential risks of environmental pollution was raised by Stella Michailidou, on behalf of the National Committee "Environment and Children's Health". In particular, she said that one third of cancers can be prevented if children are protected from the influence of carcinogens and added that children are more sensitive to the influence of toxic substances. "If it cannot be proven that one activity does not affect health, then preventive measures should be taken," he explained."
Source: CNA
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