Sia residents demand halt to quarry expansion and binding phase-out timetable

Sia, Cyprus. Residents of Sia are demanding that quarrying near the village stop expanding and that authorities commit to a timetable to phase out operations, community council president Melina Georgiou said. She warned that the community would not tolerate additional damage to the landscape.

Community seeks enforceable limits

Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency after Sunday’s protest, Georgiou said residents considered a clear, binding schedule for gradually ending quarrying a red line.

“We will not accept any expansion. We are demanding limits on quarrying,” she said.

Georgiou said the community planned to request talks with the agriculture minister, who had shown interest in coming to the area to discuss residents’ concerns.

Concerns over boundaries and landscape

Georgiou alleged that earlier agreements defining the limits of quarrying were being breached, with excavation now occurring in locations plainly visible from Sia. She said the quarry could be seen across the community, making the effect on the landscape especially marked.

“Xylias mountain is the identity of our community. If the entire mountain is quarried, Sia will lose its identity,” she said.

Peaceful protest backed locally

Georgiou described Sunday’s demonstration as peaceful, with backing from the whole community and the local council. She said its purpose was to ensure residents were heard after their patience had been exhausted, and that the government needed to recognise they would tolerate no more.