It is indeed with great pleasure that we inaugurate today the project for the upgrade of the Wastewater Treatment Plant of the Consortium of Paralimni and Ayia Napa Drainage Boards. A project of the utmost importance with multiple benefits for both citizens and the tourist area of the two municipalities.
Allow me to congratulate my fellow Mayors, and the members of the Boards of Directors of the Paralimni and Ayia Napa Drainage Boards for their determination to complete this project immediately, and more generally for the initiatives they are developing in order to realize the vision they have set for the progress and prosperity of the residents of these two important municipalities of the free region of Famagusta. A vision that we as a Government have embraced from the very first moment, supporting in practice the development policy of our Municipalities and Communities.
Today, we proudly hand over to the citizens an important project concerning the Expansion and Upgrading of the existing Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), located at the border of the Municipalities of Paralimni and Ayia Napa.
The project was co-financed by the EU Cohesion Fund to enable the plant to increase its capacity to meet the increasing wastewater flows from the two areas, as part of the obligation to comply with the Urban Wastewater Directive 91/271/EEC. The co-financing falls under the priority axis "Solid Waste and Water Management".
Investment in the water sector is a priority to meet the requirements of the Union acquis in the field of environment and to address the needs identified by the Member States.
The Wastewater Treatment Plant is jointly managed by the Paralimni and Ayia Napa Drainage Boards through the Consortium established and following a lease of state-owned land on the basis of a 1991 Cabinet decision.
Subsequently, it was deemed necessary to upgrade the project to meet the increased flow of wastewater to the Plant that has been observed in recent years, due to the increase in population and visitors to the area through the parallel increase in infrastructure in hotels, apartments, residences and marinas.
In recent years, the increase in wastewater flow has pushed the existing WWTP to the limits of its capacity, with the result that at certain times of the year, the emergency storage tanks are also used out of necessity, for temporary storage of excess flows.
It was expected that the wastewater flow would increase and intensify further until 2030, as a result of and mainly due to the development of the tourism industry in the region, including the marinas of Ayia Napa and Paralimni.
With this project, therefore, today, we are directly meeting the needs of the region, anticipating any unpleasant developments due to the significant difficulties in managing the increased volume of wastewater with the existing infrastructure.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
With the expansion and upgrade of the Wastewater Treatment Plant of the Consortium of the Paralimni and Ayia Napa Drainage Councils, the Plant is given the capacity to treat 10.000 additional cubic meters of wastewater and now reaches 31,000 cubic meters per day to cover any increased flow.
The new unit added to the WWTP will be able to operate independently, but also in combination with the existing equipment of the WWTP. At the same time as the expansion of the Plant, a significant part of the machinery and equipment of the existing WWTP has been replaced, so that the WWTP can meet the growing needs of the area.
The implementation of the co-funded project was carried out through a Tender which included the construction part of the expansion and upgrade of the WWTP by the contractor, and was of 15 months duration.
Contract implementation activities started in September 2020 and were completed in November 2022.
Dear all,
It is these actions and these partnerships that we want to see put into practice through Local Government Reform. Citizens are asking for it and must begin to reap the benefits of the reform, in a context of more developed and higher quality local communities.
The completion of the project coincides with the processes underway to implement this important reform of local government, which provides for the joint management of sewerage systems, grouped at the provincial level under a single Provincial Government Agency.
The completion of the project coincides with the processes underway to implement this important reform of local government, which provides for the joint management of sewerage systems, grouped at the provincial level under a single Provincial Government Agency.
The cooperation of the two Drainage Boards of Paralimni and Ayia Napa for the implementation of this project sends promising signals for its continuation and optimization under the umbrella of the Provincial Self-Government Organization, which from June 2024 will take over for the entire free province of Famagusta, the management and provision of water supply, sewerage, waste, as well as the responsibility for the licensing of the development with the issuance of the respective permits.
The goal and the big gamble of the reform is for the operation of the EOA to provide improved and higher quality services to the residents of the entire free Famagusta province, taking advantage of the synergies resulting from the merger of services and their joint management by the EOA.
It is for this reason that the stalemate that has arisen over the issue of the Provisional Co-ordinating Council in your province must find its solution as soon as possible, and in any case with the re-opening of Parliament next March.
The Ministry of Interior, for its part, wanting to ensure that Famagusta province does not fall further behind in preparing for the functioning of the new EDA, has taken a coordinating role by keeping the members of the Provisional Coordinating Council informed of all guidelines issued by the Central Advisory Committee, thus helping in every way to overcome the problem that has arisen.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The grand strategic project that we are inaugurating today has been achieved thanks to the cooperation and coordination of the local authorities, the stakeholders and the determination of the Government.
I would like to congratulate all the contributors, the Mayors and members of the Boards of Directors of the Paralimni and Ayia Napa Drainage Boards, as well as the staff of the Drainage Boards who, through their close cooperation with the state's stakeholders, have contributed to the smooth implementation of the project, as well as the company "MIPER LTD", which undertook the construction of the project.
A project of significant environmental value, with many benefits for public health, since it reduces the risk of pollution of the environment and groundwater resources. It will also contribute to the effort to exploit renewable resources, sustainable development and the protection of the water environment, achieving the objectives of the European Urban Waste Water Treatment and Water Directive.
I wish a good utilization of this project and even better continuation in the development of the free area of Famagusta.
(EFYs/NG/SX)
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
Source[/P][/P][/URL]
