268 buildings in Nicosia declared dangerous

A total of 268 buildings in Nicosia have been deemed unsafe, four of which require immediate evacuation, with costs amounting to more than €2 million, the local district organisation EOA said on Wednesday.

“Most of the buildings already declared dangerous remain occupied, a fact that underscores the need for immediate action,” an EOA spokesperson said.

According to the EOA, one of the four buildings is located in the centre of town and the other three are in residential areas and are scheduled to be evacuated in the coming days.

It added that the estimated cost for the removal of hazardous materials in the remaining dangerous buildings amounts to €2.3 million without operating costs, but that the total funds made available to the district organisations by the government amount to only €2 million for two years.

“The [EOA] enforces applicable legislation and utilises available institutional tools to ensure public safety,” the EOA said.

“Where deemed necessary, immediate protective measures are taken, such as fencing, supporting or removing dangerous elements,” it added.

Meanwhile, an emergency meeting was held in Paphos that afternoon to discuss the matter.

Head of the Paphos district government, Charalambos Pittokopitis said that there is a total of 226 dangerous buildings in Paphos, 71 of which are situated within the municipal borders of the town.

“Of the 71, 10-12 are in a more dangerous condition, 109 are in the communities and 46 in the municipality of Polis Chrysochous,” he said.

Pittokopitis stated that the meeting involved a customary protocol for dealing with such structures, and that directives to initiate an evacuation procedure have been issued.

In this context, he pointed to the meeting of the five local government organisations, that would follow to implement a coordinated response to the matter, emphasising the need for “immediate cooperation”.

“Procedures today are particularly time-consuming, which increases the risk of unpleasant developments,” he said, stressing that cooperation with the legal service and the Parliament was crucial to proceed with necessary amendments to cover existing gaps in the legislation.

Earlier in the day, the interior ministry moved to speed up the public disclosure of unsafe structures, as authorities examined ways to prevent dangerous incidents following Saturday’s collapse of a residential building, which left two people dead.