Mazotos, Cyprus. The Mazotos community council has called on President Nikos Christodoulides to intervene and order the cancellation and review of plans for a mobile desalination unit in the area. In a letter to the president, the council cited environmental and archaeological concerns and said the project should be reassessed.
Council letter outlines objections
The council expressed its “strong concern, disappointment and opposition” to the decision to install the desalination plant on the community’s coastline.
It said improved water reserves following increased rainfall in recent months had created time to revisit decisions taken under pressure and to consider alternative solutions with lower environmental and financial costs.
Assessment raises procedural concerns
The council referred to a preliminary scientific assessment of the project’s environmental documentation, completed in May 2026, which it said identified “substantial deficiencies and inconsistencies” in the licensing and site selection process.
According to the letter, a strategic environmental assessment should have preceded the decision to proceed with a state desalination programme to establish a national framework for the development and siting of such facilities.
The council said the absence of such a study had limited the ability to evaluate alternative options and assess cumulative impacts, including effects on marine ecosystems, brine disposal and energy requirements.
It added that several key technical parameters had yet to be finalised, making it impossible to carry out a comprehensive environmental assessment before decisions were taken.
Marine habitat and archaeological concerns
The council raised particular concern over findings by independent marine scientists from MER Lab, who reportedly concluded that the area should not have been promoted without much stricter scrutiny because of the presence of sensitive marine habitats.
It pointed to Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows and other vulnerable seabed ecosystems, arguing that these should have been a major restriction in selecting the site rather than being treated as a manageable risk afterwards.
The council said the project should have undergone a full environmental impact assessment before moving forward, adding that the construction of underwater pipelines and associated coastal and marine works in an environmentally and archaeologically sensitive area was inconsistent with the notion of a temporary or easily movable installation.
