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Yermasoyia ecosystem perishes
By Anna Hassapi

FOLLOWING weeks of dramatic pleas to save the ecosystem at Yermasoyia Dam, the dam has dried out, taking with it the wealth of animal and plant life that inhabited it. Adding insult to injury, authorities are reportedly putting public health at risk by not following procedure on the disposal of the multitude of dead fish in the dam. The Fisheries Department has been burying the fish inside the dam and covering the pits with lime, next to the new boreholes drilled by the Water Board.

“We have information that the fish which perished have been gathered with a net and buried in pits in the dam area. This move is illegal. The procedure that should have been followed, which is provided by law, is that Veterinary Services should have been called to oversee the process of waste collection and management by a licensed company, as it is considered animal waste,” explained Ioanna Panagiotou, Green Party spokesperson.

The law provides that animal waste must be collected by a licensed company and managed as provided by the EU Rule 17/74. As Panagiotou explained, in most cases such waste is burned.

The Greens pointed out the risks involved and called for a probe to ascertain who is responsible. “There are potential dangers for public health, as well as for the environment because of the risk of pollution. Therefore, the appropriate procedure should have been followed.

“We have asked the relevant authorities to conduct research on why a state department acted illegally. The research should show exactly how the process of burying the dead fish took place, how many fish have perished, and who is responsible,” Panagiotou said.

Conservationists have been warning of the danger to the sustainability of the ecosystem from draining water from Yermasoyia Dam. According to the Greens, 100,000m³ would have been enough to preserve life in the dam.

“The dam was left to turn into a marsh. The necessary steps were not taken to preserve life in the dam. Water should have been added, as well as better oxygenation to preserve the organisms in the dam,” Panagiotou explained.

New boreholes have reportedly been dug inside the dam, which begs the question of why borehole water has not been used to save Yermasoyia Dam. “We have information that new boreholes have been drilled within the dam, where water was found. We wonder why this water has not been used to supply the dam,” she asked.

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