Athienou is a small city in the Larnaca District in Cyprus. Its size is 64.807 sq.km. and its population is 6.500 inhabitants, with around 2.500 extra foreign workers living there for work. It is built at an altitude of 135 meters, south of the plain of Mesaoria and 20km south east from the capital Nicosia. The main activities are africulture and stockbreeding, with many industries operating.
Main environmental challenges faced by the city
The area is mainly plain, with many agricultural and stockbreeding activities. One environmental challenge is with the manure and the sewage of the cow farms, which in rainy seasons drift and end up in the residential area. Also, there is an industrial area with many industries, including some big dairy products ones. The industrial area doesn't have a sewerage system yet and liguids from industries are left in the water drainage system, polluting nearby fields.Another environmental challenge is the increasing of the number of the trees of the area, for more oxygen and more green Athienou.
NBS implemented or planned
- Manure: In cooperation with professionals, they proposed a solution to beild a factory in the farms area where all the manure from the farms will go and be processed, giving at the end clear drinking water from the liquids and fertilizer or burning material from the solid.
- Industrial area problem: A sewerage system, with a biological treatment plant is being planned for the industrial area, like it exists in the residential area, for solving the problem.
- Greeining of the area: The Municipality of Athienou has promoted in 2020 the planting of 1.200 trees in a public field outside the residential area that will end up to be a park with a bicycle route, places to rest etc. Also 300 more trees have been planned in three other places. The plan is to plant and preserve many more trees in public spaces of the area."