IN DIKMEN
WHAT WAS DONE?
(Publication date: January 5, 2007)
I had been planning
for a long time, but somehow never managed to go.
The holiday gave me the opportunity,
so I went and saw for myself.
It turned out as I had
expected.
Unfortunately.
And yet I had been so hopeful.
***
During the previous mayor’s
term, we wrote and wrote about how Dikmen was suffering terribly...
The answer was always the same: “There’s
no one responsible for that place,” they said.
We got angry and frustrated: “It’s becoming an environmental disaster, and you’re still looking for someone to take responsibility,” we said.
Then came the local elections,
and we replaced the mayor who was looking for someone to take responsibility for the environmental disaster.
The new mayor
first took responsibility for this disaster and rolled up his sleeves. We were pleased and applauded.
Rather than getting into an absurd
debate about who was responsible, the new mayor launched a campaign!
The mayor had won us over
from the very first moments.
What mattered to us then
was that the dump had someone responsible for it.
We now had a dump with someone
to take responsibility for it, someone who had taken ownership of it.
And in those days, we had
long conversations, expressing our admiration for how sensitive the mayor was about these issues.
It was on our minds then,
too, but perhaps we did not want to think that the mayor had taken on this work on a whim.
Today we can say:
“It was just a passing enthusiasm”...
Why?
Let me explain.
*
I went to the Nicosia slaughterhouse
on the first day of the holiday to sacrifice an animal. (By the way, all precautions had been taken at the slaughterhouse, and the service was clean and good, so I congratulate those responsible.)
On the way to the slaughterhouse, where I had the chance to get a close look at the dump and its surroundings, which I had wanted to visit and observe for a long time, I was disappointed.
Since I am not an expert
in this area, I don’t know what technical work has been done inside the dump.
This much I can
say: The fact that we have not had another dump fire is a sign that something has been done.
Yes, there are no fires, but
come and see: the disorderly state of the Dikmen dump continues.
Moreover, the area around the Dikmen dump is in no better condition than the dump itself.
It is an unbelievable sight.
Plastic bags flying everywhere.
“I’m glad there’s
a small hill between us, so these flying pieces of rubbish don’t reach central Nicosia,” I would say, but since it is quite clear that Nicosia itself is no different, saying this would be naive.
Doesn’t it bother those responsible
to live in a capital where environmental cleanliness is given so little importance, just as much as it bothers us?
Yes, I admit that we, too,
are at fault in this matter.
Not all of us are mindful
about this; failing to put our rubbish neatly in designated areas is our fault.
But there’s the wind, the cats,
and the dogs.
So what, if the rubbish isn’t neatly arranged, the cleaning staff won’t collect it?
From what we have seen,
it isn’t being collected.
And the environment we live in
is littered with rubbish.
Let’s return to our main point.
We all see the work
of the new mayor.
To be honest, most of the time, Mr. Mayor does very worthwhile work.
And yet, as long as our “rubbish”
problem remains unresolved, both in our streets and around the Dikmen dump, I believe that keeping this issue on the agenda will help bring about a solution.
Also, as long as this problem continues,
we will describe Mr. Mayor’s resolve in those early days as “a passing enthusiasm.”
*
Meanwhile, I still don’t understand what
the Ministry of Environment is doing.
In October,
Mr. Minister said that the CMC issue was on the agenda and that projects were being developed to address it.
It seems that, even now, either no project has been developed or no work is being done on this issue.
A news report carried by the agencies yesterday stated: “The Lefke Kadınlar Konseyi and the Lefke ve Çevresi Öncü Kadınlar Derneği said that Lefke and the surrounding area had been taken over by CMC mining waste, and that all of Lefke was surrounded by pollution.”
Mr. Minister, my humble
suggestion to you is this: If work is being done on this issue, or even on other environmental problems, you should announce these projects.
Because in your statements at the end of October, you said that CMC was the Mediterranean’s biggest environmental disaster and that you would carry out work as if the country were about to become a full member of the EU. (We discussed this in my October 30, 2006 article titled “A Suggestion for the Minister of Environment.” Those who are interested can find the full text in the “Opinion Columns Archive” on my website, www.cemkar.net.)
I hope Mr. Minister
has not forgotten what he said and will share the work being done on this issue with us as soon as possible.
See you Monday... Be respectful
on the roads!
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