CLIENT: Ministry of Interior – Town Planning and Housing Department
Three separate Environmental Management Studies were prepared related to assessing the carrying capacity of the three coastal city bays as to receive the projected estimated amounts of groundwater arising from the dewatering process required during the excavation works needed to be carried out during the construction of underground spaces in the various current or permitted high-rise building developments located in the following areas:
(a) Within the boundaries of Limassol’s Local Development Plan: the entire coastal area of the Local Development Plan, from the area of the New Port at the western limits of the Plan up to and including the administrative boundaries of Monagroulli community at the easternmost boundaries of the Plan,
(b) Within the boundaries of Larnaca’s Local Development Plan: from Mackenzie area (Town Planning Zone Δ5) of the Municipality of Larnaca to Pyla community at the eastern limits of the Plan,
(c) Within the boundaries of Paphos Local Development Plan: the coastal area of the Touristic Zones of the Municipality of Geroskipou to the Touristic Zones of the Municipality of Pegeia on the westernmost boundaries of the Plan.
The work stages of each study included the following key elements:
- Description of the study area regarding its topographic and urban town planning characteristics.
- Collection of data from the Town Planning Authorities with regards to issued or under evaluation Applications for high rise building Town Planning Permits, for the determination of where these stand with regards to implementation or evaluation, so that a decision is made on which should be taken into consideration during the execution of these studies.
- Evaluation of the hydrogeological characteristics of the study area (development plots) and calculation of their drainage requirements per case depending on design data (e.g. depth and area of basement) and local hydrogeological conditions.
- Estimation of groundwater quality characteristics and their evolution during the dewatering process.
- Comparative Examination of different feasible dewatering and possible water discharge methods per study area, as according to their hydrogeological conditions.
- Description of the current status of the marine environment in the under evaluation marine bays and other pressures in each bay.
- Description of the licensing process for high-rise buildings.
- Provision of proposals and recommendation of measures for integrated management for safe reuse or discharge of produced water specifically adapted to the particular characteristics of each study area.
