Coral Bay sand will be reclaimed from the sea

WORK ON restoring 10,000 cubic metres of lost sand to Coral Bay beach in Paphos will begin on Wednesday, authorities say.

SEMESKO Ltd will undertake the project which is due to be completed within the next two weeks at a cost of around €58,000.

Peyia councillor, Nikos Konikkos, who is also head of the beaches committee,  said the beach loses between 10,000 and 20,000 cubic metres of sand a year to the sea but the past winter had taken its toll and some 10,000 cubic metres was now deposited in the water some 150 metres off shore.

“This happens every 10-12 years outside of the normal movement of the sand,” he said.

“But this year was far worse and it needs urgent intervention,” he added.

Konikkos said the movement of so much sand this year was bad for business and for Paphos in general as Coral Bay beach was one of the top three or four beaches in Cyprus.

“We had numerous complaints from tourists and Cypriots,” said Konikkos. “As chairman of the beaches committee, I raised the issue at the beginning of March, and asked for immediate solution.”

He said a study was then carried out to see how best to restore the sand – whether to bring more or reclaim it from the sea. The later option was chosen by the Peyia municipal council.

“We received the study last week and the tender was awarded to SEMESKO,” said Konikkos.

“The work will start on Wednesday and in six or seven days the beach will be ready to welcome bathers,” he added. Further studies will also be done into the general erosion of the island’s beaches, Konikkos said.

Coral Bay is a popular destination with both tourists and locals, who flock to the area to enjoy the blue-flagged beach and sparkling waters.