Dromolaxia-Meneou mayor Kypros Andronikou on Tuesday called on authorities to immediately proceed with measures to combat erosion along the coastlines of the island, warning that the problem was “constantly worsening”.

“There is a huge problem with the erosion of the coastline in the area from the Pervolia Lighthouse to Meneou, which is constantly worsening and causing serious problems both for the access of residents and visitors to the sea, as well as in the operation of the beaches, infrastructure and the local economy,” he said.

He said erosion had already impacted Pervolia, stressing part of it was in “immediate danger of collapse” and needed to be temporarily cordoned off by the municipality as the authorities failed to proceed with necessary works.

“If we had waited for the state services to proceed with the necessary works, there would be no pedestrian walkway today, despite the fact that they had promised in a meeting we had with various departments last September that they would proceed with immediate intervention and protection,” he said.

Andronikou added that necessary studies for measures to prevent erosion had been conducted and that the construction of breakwaters had already begun, however he added that the decision was overturned by a decision of the environmental department, which ruled that milder interventions should have been implemented.

“We pressed for timetables to be set for resolving the erosion problem because we believe that this situation requires immediate measures and actions, taking into account that there have been significant delays due to licensing and bureaucratic procedures. Nature and erosion cannot wait for administrative procedures,” he said.

Expressing his disappointment over how authorities had handled the matter, Andronikou said that he hoped that at least the timetables set for autumn could proceed as planned.

“I am not at all optimistic about the way in which the state services operate on the issue of erosion (…),” he said.

He called on the authorities to “act immediately and provide solutions”, noting the municipality could not await further bureaucratic delays.

“We expect measures yesterday and not today,” he added.

Andronikou warned that the problem of erosion stretched beyond his municipality and called on the government to proceed with relevant interventions to ensure the protection of the coastline for locals and tourists.

“The issue concerns the protection and safety of the thousands of visitors, foreigners and locals who visit Cyprus and our beaches every year,” he said.