In many places on the coastline of Cyprus where it is overdeveloped, there has begun to suffer serious erosion at some spots with improperly planned breakwaters contributing to the problem.

According to Phileleftheros, while breakwaters horizontal to the coastline are highly necessary in some areas to delay erosion, improperly placed structures placed horizontally as well as vertically to the coast to separate one area of beach from another compound the problem.

The paper said hotel and restaurant owners appear to have taken the steps to stop the sea and sand in front of their businesses from being eroded away and to limit access to the spot to just their paying customers.

Public Works Department official Stelos Zervos told Philelftheros efforts were being made to combat the problem. He also noted aerial photos had shown erosion had eaten away at as much as 50cm of coastline at some points within a year with the phenomenon most visible in Pervolia, Polis Chrysochous and Yeroskipou.

At this time, plans are underway for five new, officially-planned, breakwaters in the Yeroskipou area. The €2.4m project is funded, by 85%, by the EU Cohesion Fund through an operational programme on Competitiveness and Sustainable Development (2014-2020).

The breakwaters will be created in the sea area between the Apollonia Holiday Apartments and Akteon Holiday Village.

Within the same project, 10 vertical breakwaters and similar structures in the area will be knocked down or moved away after being constructed illegally over the last years.