The coordinating committee of the Federation of Environmental Organisations of Cyprus (Opok) supported the residents of Mitsero who oppose the setting up of an asphalt production plant in an area close to the village.

Opok said that as the area already hosted quarries, livestock farms, slaughterhouses and waste treatment activities, the addition of a new unit would intensify concerns about the quality of the air, protection of nature and the daily life of residents. It said that “the dust from the quarries, the bad smells, the emissions of production and the movement of heavy trucks should be evaluated together as the residents experience all these pressures simultaneously.”

Residents, supported by environmental groups, have been fighting against the establishment of the asphalt plant for years. In September 2023 they won a legal battle against the government, with the administrative court cancelling the permit for an asphalt plant, but that was not the end of the matter. In June this year, an application for an interim order to suspend the work on the asphalt plant, pending an appeal against the issuing of a planning permit, was rejected. The supreme court will now issue a decision on the validity of the planning permit.

Campaigners are demanding that an independent environmental impact study is carried out and an assessment of the effect on people’s health. They argue that because of the presence of other industries in the area, there is a cumulative environmental impact and that this puts the health of residents at risk. It should be noted that the asphalt plant had been operating near Dhali village and the decision to relocate it was taken after protests by the residents of the surrounding area.

As a result, the authorities are on shaky ground. If the plant was moved away from the Dhali area because of people’s protests, why should people living in Mitsero and surrounding villages (residents of several nearby villages are fighting against the plant’s relocation) accept it in their area? It probably will not be situated as close to the residential areas as it was in Dhali, but this will not reassure people.

The question is whether the plant will have all the necessary anti-pollution mechanisms to ensure it does not pollute the air of the area. We assume that no planning permit would have been issued by the authorities without all anti-pollution requirements satisfied and if this is the case, the residents’ protests would be unjustified. In fact, this is what Opok and other environmental groups should be campaigning for instead of mindlessly opposing the operation of any industry. Opok is essentially arguing that there should be no asphalt plant anywhere in Cyprus which is absurd.

What residents and green campaigners should be calling for is the enforcement of strict anti-pollution regulations at all factories and plants where they are not in place, because the country cannot function without industry