Rubbish dump fire raises air pollution health fears
CONCERNS have been raised over potentially toxic fumes that have been billowing across the TRNC’s central plain, including the capital Lefkoşa, for a week.
Rubbish at the Güngör Solid Waste Storage Facility has been burning since last Saturday.
Villages such as Güngör, Değirmenlik, Haspolat, Hamitköy and Taşkent in particular have been affected by the smoke, with residents saying they have become “prisoners” in their own homes.
Jale Talun, who lives in Taşkent, said: “We have been unable to breathe for days because of this bad smoke. People are getting ill.”
Interior Minister Ziya Öztürkler said that construction equipment is being used to extinguish the fire “in a controlled manner” by “smothering it with soil”, in addition to the efforts of firefighters.
❐ A LARGE fire broke out yesterday at a rubbish dump belonging to Çatalköy and Esentepe municipalities near the Teknecik power station.
Police said that teams from the Fire Brigade and Forestry Department were tackling the blaze with the help of work vehicles provided by Çatalköy Municipality and the Cyprus Turkish Electricity Authority.