Concerned and outraged residents of Orounda are demanding an investigation into the operation of two illegal pig farms in the area whose managers keep breaking the law and pollute air and water, endangering the health of people, critics say.
A group on Monday called for the implementation of the legislation in an announcement. Residents are asking the agriculture ministry to take measures to close down the farms, saying their patience has run out.
“In the past there were 30 to 40 pig farms in the area, and at the time the agriculture ministry applied a lot of pressure to build proper sewage systems on the farms, and gradually the farms stopped operating,” spokesman for the group Yiannakis Charalambous said.
He explained that in the absence of a proper treatment of pig sewage, dangerous pollutants are released into the water and air such as nitrates and methane.
This has become a problem again when two farms were rented out in the past couple of years, and the managers, according to the protesters, don’t keep to any of the relevant laws.
“They have dumped all their sewage in ponds, and pollute the underground water,” Charalambous said. “The farms are not even built in the proper zones. They also do a lot of other things which are completely illegal. One of them is very provocative. He trespasses and says he can do whatever he likes. The question is why can they operate now and why were the owners not allowed to get away with this in the past and these people are?”
“We wonder why they are not being brought to justice. Is it an issue of unequal treatment or is it a matter of collusion?” the residents demand to know.
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