Nicosia, Cyprus. Akel leader Stefanos Stefanou on Thursday called on the government to act swiftly over problems at the waste treatment facility at Pentakomo. He spoke after visiting the Pentakomo plant and earlier touring the facility at Koshi.
Concerns over Pentakomo and Koshi
Stefanou said Cyprus is facing infringement proceedings from the European Union concerning Pentakomo, while it remains unclear whether a local investigation will result in criminal indictments.
“All these things give the whiff of a scandal,” he said.
He added that there are major problems with the operation of both the Pentakomo and Koshi facilities, which he said stem from poor handling and inadequate planning.
Call for immediate measures
Stefanou urged the government and the authorities to move quickly to address the issue, saying it concerns both the environment and public health.
“We need to deal with these issues before they turn into a crisis,” he said.
He also criticized the handling of recyclable materials, saying that although residents are told to recycle and municipalities incur costs in doing so, materials sorted at source are ultimately buried instead of being recycled.
“That’s unacceptable and must be dealt with,” he said.
Planning and delays
According to Stefanou, discussions with technocrats left him with the strong impression that there is no overall planning for waste management.
“Missing timetables has become the norm, rather than the exception,” he said.
