President Nicos Anastasiades on Saturday laid the foundation stone for the west Limassol wastewater treatment plant in Kato Polemidia, which is expected to solve the sewerage ploblems currently faced in that area.
The plant, expected to be up and running by the middle of 2021, will help save over 13 million cubic metres of water annually through the recycling of the water, a quantity bigger than that of the Yermasoyia reservoir, he said.
“It is very important for irrigation purposes, for (water) saving reasons. It will effectively tackle problems affecting the wider western Limassol by directly addressing the needs of the area, including neighbouring municipalities and communities,” Anastasiades said.
He added that the Sewerage Board of Limassol – Amathus had first pointed out the necessity of this project 50 years ago “and is being implemented today, thanks to the cooperation and coordination of all stakeholders and the government’s determination”.
“It will contribute to the decongestion of the main sewer line and the existing sewage treatment plant in Moni,” he said.
The €47m project, he said, is part of the government’s environmental policy and the broader planning it adopts for maximising and utilising renewable resources, sustainable development and protection of the aquatic environment and achieving the objectives of the EU’s Urban Waste Water Treatment directive.
The plant enables the utilisation of the biogas it will be producing for the production of electricity. It also reduces the risk of pollluting the environment and groundwater resources, while protecting public health, Anastasiades said.
He added that, in order to maximise the use of recycled water, the government has drawn up a programme for major important infrastructure projects to the tune of over €100m.
Earlier in the week, the EU Court of Justice ruled against Cyprus over its failure to ensure that all urban areas of more than 2,000 inhabitants have adequate collection and treatment systems for wastewater, as required under EU rules.
The court ruled that, even though “some progress has been made”, Cyprus has failed to collect and treat wastewater in 31 urban areas with a population ranging from 2,000 to 15,000 people and, under EU law, should have had adequate wastewater treatment systems in place by December 31, 2012.
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