Mazotos residents take desalination plant project to court

Mazotos residents are opposing the decision to install a mobile desalination plant in the Petounta area. To fight the project, residents have formed an initiative group to save the Mazotos coastline. Activists are collecting signatures and planning new protests after the summer holidays end.

Residents fear that the plant will harm the terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Particular concern has been raised over the seabed, where extensive meadows of Posidonia seagrass are located, forming an important part of the marine environment. Eleni Haili, a representative of the protesters, said that the project could destroy an almost untouched stretch of coastline which, she said, is the last remaining site of its kind in the Larnaca area. Residents also fear that the discharge of brine and chemical waste will damage the Posidonia meadows.

Activists also criticise the choice of a desalination plant itself, noting that such facilities require large amounts of electricity and place an additional burden on the environment.

Residents have already taken the matter to court, challenging the decision of the Council of Ministers. They are demanding that work on installing the mobile desalination station be suspended.