Repeated calls for a halt to illegal quarrying around the Arapkoy area in the Besparmak mountains appear to be unheeded.
The Chamber of Turkish Civil Engineers and its counterpart in the South say that:
“The uncontrolled and illegal quarrying is bordering on the limits of destruction of cultural heritage with the consequences becoming irreversible both for the environment, man and the flora and fauna.”
Civil engineers want to see an end to quarrying and strict controls and limits to the amount of building materials which are being sent to the South.
“A study should be completed to record the environmental impact quarrying has had on the region which was declared a natural heritage monument in accordance with the Burra Charter of 1999,” a statement issued by the Civil engineers association (South) said.
It added that the association would be endeavouring to contact European and international engineers’ organisations so that they can add their voices to the protest.
In November, environmentalists from North and South Cyprus warned that if the uncontrolled quarrying does not stop soon the ‘five peaks’ would disappear one by one.
