Gazimağusa ‘could turn into an odorous swamp’
A TONNE of human excrement could turn Gazimağusa into “an odorous swamp” during a growing battle with Brussels, it has been claimed.
An EU inquiry criticised poor planning and management for faults in a major sewerage project funded by the bloc which has left the waste trapped in 3km of a 31km network of pipes.
“The town could turn into an odorous swamp of excrement if the pipes are now removed to solve the problem, as suggested,” said head of the Cyprus Turkish Construction Contractors’ Union Cafer Gürcafer.
“It would be unjust for the EU to make Gazimağusa residents suffer by prolonging the work for three years while attempting to stop legal action and acquit some of its officials. I urge the government to refuse to accept further EU aid funds until the matter is resolved. Our union members will also boycott any new bid for the work pending a satisfactory outcome of discussions.”
Mr Gürcafer said the sewerage project had been implemented by TRNC firm Emek Inşaat and a German company which led to court action after late problems arose. A two million-euro surety put up by the contractors was subsequently seized, with final stage-payments blocked by the EU.
“At that time, we advised that, had the project been managed under local law, it would have been assessed by the Visa Office which carries out checks for competency and compliance with earthquake regulations,” he said.
“The office completes calculations and requests any necessary remedial work. That control mechanism was lacking, which is why the problem occurred.
“While faults can occur on any big project, in this case the source of the problem is the project design itself. The gradients of pipes are inadequate, leading to a pile-up of waste and bad smells. This must be resolved soon. Leaks that have been observed on underground CCTV cameras need to be stopped as soon as possible.
“Once we identified the problem, we attempted to mediate between the EU and contractors.”
Mr Gürcafer said highlevel meetings with authorities in Brussels had been close to a solution and the union agreed with the EU Dispute Advisory Board which blamed the project design, while finding the contractors 35 per cent responsible, saying that “as experienced operators” they should not have started work without first checking the design.
“However, the EU refused to accept the board’s verdict and applied to a higher authority, which both sides had the right to do, so the process is continuing,” he said.
Mr Gürcafer quoted a university study that claimed repairs to the sewerage system could cost some two million euros but which suggested an alternative design that would be cheaper and quicker to implement, saying: “The EU proposed a 2.5m-wide excavation of a 31km stretch of the pipe network, whereas we and the university recommend that leaking sections be dug up one-by-one with extra pumping stations being used to prevent the pile-up of waste and to remove that which remains.”