Young Reporters > The Athalassa Lake

The Athalassa Lake

We, as young reporters who are interested in the environmental issues, decided to investigate the serious problem which has been occurred at the Athalassa Lake. This lake is located at the suburbs of Nicosia, a few kilometers far from our school.

A time ago, we were informed that wild birds living in that lake died and the authorities tries to find a solution to the problem.

As a result, we decided to visit the lake with our teacher. What we learned is that the lake has recently been polluted, probably by chemicals from industries and from domestic sewage. Also there is the possibility that somebody sprayed in the area.

After medical examinations of the dead birds, it was found out that they were carrying a stain of the virus H7.

The authorities were thoughtful about the measures to be taken. Finally they decided that the only solution was to drain the lake. They also decided that they should plough the lake bed to break the toxins.

Local wild-life groups have expressed concern but as there is not enough water available to re-fill the lake this was the only course of action deemed feasible. Young reporters are going to investigate the reasons that led to the above ending and also the consequences of the wild life that previously was using the lake.

Our concern is what will happen during the period of migration of birds. Thousands of birds are passing through the Athalassa Lake. The drying of the lake creates a big problem to all these birds which have been using the lake as a place for resting and eating. On the other hand, if this measure was not taken, the death of the birds would be an unfortunate result. For this reason it was unavoidable for the government to proceed to the draining of the lake.

Man believing in his abilities has ignored the rules of natural in an uncontrollable state leading slowly but steadily into a dangerous catastrophe. This started since the ancient times with the uncontrolled destruction of forests which unfortunately continues until our days. Moreover, the industrial and technological revolution has been accelerated the problem even more and affected the environment in several harmful ways. The climate of our planet has been changed. An obvious result is the extinction of many species of plant and animal life. Yet only lately the seriousness of the situation has been realized and Governments announced a number of measures that will alleviate the abovementioned problems at some extent.

Do, we in Cyprus realize whether the measures that have been taken in the case of the Athalassa lake were the correct? Who knows when the aquatic life will be renewed and what will be the effects of those measures on the ecosystem in general?

We, as young reporters for the environment, will try to find the real causes which polluted our lake, but also other lakes and suggest solutions so that we will be able to prevent similar situations.

In cooperation with other interested schools all over Europe, we hope that we will achieve our goal and also exchange ideas and good practices on the issue of lake drain, the impact on human beings and the wild life in general.