Govt defends Mazotos desalination plan following residents’ protest

The agriculture ministry on Saturday defended plans for a desalination plant in Mazotos, insisting that the project is essential for Cyprus’ water security and will proceed in accordance with legal requirements. The ministry’s comments followed a protest by residents who blocked a road over concerns about its environmental impact. In a statement, the ministry said its intention was not to engage in confrontation with the local community but to pursue “serious and productive dialogue” on measures that would benefit Mazotos. “The prolonged drought, pressure on water resources and climate change make it necessary to strengthen desalination infrastructure to ensure Cyprus’ water security,” the ministry said. It added that expanding desalination capacity would help meet the country’s drinking water needs while preserving greater quantities of water from other sources for irrigation. According to the ministry, the Mazotos facility is being developed in accordance with the required procedures and conditions set by authorities. It said several meetings had taken place at both technical and political levels with the community council, residents and other stakeholders, during which information was provided and concerns discussed. The ministry also confirmed that the community authority had submitted written requests for compensatory measures intended to ensure the project delivered tangible benefits to the area. Discussions would continue, it said, to identify and prioritise measures that address the community’s needs. With legal proceedings currently underway, the ministry said it would refrain from further public comments that could be interpreted as interfering with the courts. Residents block road in protest The ministry’s statement followed a demonstration on Saturday morning, when Mazotos residents blocked the Mazotos-Kiti road for approximately 30 minutes using a tractor and a lorry. Protesters carried banners reading “Save the sea of Mazotos”, “Our sea is in danger” and “No to desalination in Mazotos”, demanding that the government abandon its plans. MPs and representatives of political parties and organisations attended the demonstration. Lampriani Alexandrou, a member of the Mazotos community council and the Initiative Group for the Protection of the Mazotos Coast, said residents would continue their opposition and would not accept compensatory measures. “Mazotos is not for sale, will not be given away and will not remain silent. We will defend it until the end,” she said. Alexandrou claimed that an alternative proposal by the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC), which she described as cheaper and capable of producing larger quantities of water, had been rejected. She said the initiative group had collected 500 signatures and that residents had already filed two legal appeals, adding that they were prepared to take the case to a European court if necessary. Asked whether the community would consider compensatory measures, Alexandrou insisted that nothing could offset the environmental damage residents feared. Another representative of the initiative group, Eleni Haili, appealed directly to the president to intervene. “Enough is enough, we have reached our limits. We do not want them in our village,” she said. She also raised concerns about potential damage to the seabed and coastline, claiming the facility would discharge approximately 40,000 tonnes of waste into the sea daily. Meanwhile, the Mazotos community council clarified that it had not participated in the protest, saying it had not been informed of its organisation in advance.