Former Head of the TRNC Biologists’ Society Criticises Permit for New Quarry Near Değirmenlik

Former chairman of the Biologists’ Society of Northern Cyprus Hasan Sarpten criticised the permit granted to North Flag to operate a new stone quarry in the Değirmenlik area (Değirmenlik). The site lies within the boundaries of the Besparmak aquifer protection zone and, according to the environmentalist, stone extraction poses a threat to groundwater.

The Besparmak aquifer protection zone was approved back in 2006. Sarpten stresses that the quarry is being opened on a completely new site within this zone, rather than expanding an existing facility.

According to him, around 20 quarries are operating in the TRNC, collectively extracting more than 15,000 tonnes of stone per day, which is enough to meet domestic needs. At the same time, industry representatives themselves complain about a lack of demand — against this background, Sarpten believes, the issuance of a new licence appears inexplicable.

In his view, instead of opening new sites, the government should bring order to existing quarries and bring their operations into line with environmental requirements.

Sarpten addressed his questions to TRNC Environment Minister Fikri Ataoğlu. He asked whether the minister had a clear conscience when issuing such a permit and added: “What bribe is being paid to open a quarry on a completely new site?”