Koutsoventis landfill fire may burn for weeks, Loizides says

Kyrenia, Cyprus. A fire at a landfill site near the village of Koutsoventis may continue for days or weeks before smoke emissions stop, bicommunal technical committee on the environment co-chairman Michalis Loizides said on Tuesday. Turkish Cypriot Nicosia mayor Mehmet Harmanci warned that the fire could damage the island’s tourism industry.

Containment concerns

Loizides told the Cyprus News Agency that waste fires involve more than the visible surface flames and cannot be managed within a few hours.

He said it was positive that the fire was on the surface rather than deep within the landfill, but added that containing it and stopping smoke emissions could take several days or even weeks.

The fire, which broke out on Sunday, is visible from many areas of Nicosia.

EU support and remediation

The Koutsoventis landfill was constructed in 2013 with European Union funding. Loizides said the EU could intervene and support structural improvements to prevent similar incidents.

He said the EU could determine that protocols were not being respected and request that the Turkish Cypriot side begin a new phase of planning and remediation.

Warnings for residents

Loizides called for an early warning system for residents, using two or three instruments to monitor concentrations of specific toxic and dangerous gases.

He said that if toxic gas concentrations were sufficiently high, areas should be evacuated. In the case of the Koutsoventis fire, he said this should perhaps have been done on the first day for areas within two or three kilometres of the landfill.

He also said civil defence should establish better structures to inform residents during such incidents.

Asked how he would protect himself, Loizides said that in the event of a strong odour he would prefer to stay indoors with his family. He added that he owns an air purifier and said that the stronger the odour, the more people should remain indoors.