Director of the Forestry Department Cemil Karzaoğlu, has said that 95 percent of the land and 70 percent of forest fires in May were caused by electricity transmission lines, roadside dry grass ignited by discarded cigarette ends and sparks from construction equipment.
Karzaoğlu also stated that in order not to be met with such events in 2021, crisis meetings should be held annually in March, at the latest.
“60-70 percent of the landfires that began were caused by the power transmission lines, roadside grass, cigarette ends and construction machines,” Karzaoğlu said in a statement to Turkish Agency Cyprus (TAK) regarding the fires in May.
Emphasising that negligence as was the cause of all the fires, Karzaoğlu said, “It has been determined that most of the recent fires are caused by energy transmission lines.”
He said that each relevant authority should meet in February or March of each year and determine the work schedule for fire prevention.
Karzaoğlu added that the grass growing under the electricity transmission lines should be cleared in February while it was still green and the task completed in May.
He also noted that dry grasses on the roadside were a major factor in the starting of fires, and that farmers who cultivated the land very close to the road made the situation more dangerous. Karzaoğlu stated that what needs to be done in the fields near the road is cutting the crop when wet and ploughing the soil.
Stating that the people should not leave their vegetable waste at the edges of the fields, Karzaoğlu said, “If we are going to keep this country clean, we need to keep our house clean.”
BRT
