Environmentalists have once again raised questions over the validity of analysis reports conducted by the north’s ‘health ministry’ declaring the seawater off the north’s beaches to be clean.

Biologist Hasan Sarpten was one of those who was less than impressed, expressing his scepticism over the reports’ declarations that every beach in the north is now clean.

“The ministry has announced the seawater analysis and of course it is all clean again! They even explained shamelessly that the second readings of the 12 beaches which were polluted in their first reading turned out to be ‘clean’,” he said.

“of course, it is also a coincidence that the 12 beaches in question are at the bottom of large [hotel] facilities. Anyway, if the second samples had come out dirty, they would have taken a third sample which would have come out clean.”

“These analyses do not reflect the truth. We cannot know [exact figures] because, despite all our requests, civil society organisations are not included in the process, but my belief is that most of these samples were taken from the computers of political appointees.”

With this in mind, he said, “no matter what they say and no matter how they play with the numbers as much as they want, not a single person believes what they are saying, because the situation on the ground is not comfortable at all.”

He then pointed to the example of Mackenzi Bay in Trikomo, where the report says there are 93 colony forming units (cfu) of E. coli per 100ml of water and 110 cfu of intestinal enterococci per 100ml of water.

These figures are described by the north’s parameters, which are the same as those set by the European Union, as “excellent”, though Sarpten believes the numbers do not reflect reality.

He provided a photograph of the beach, and said, “you can clearly see the stream flowing from the buildings in the area into the sea. In this case, it can be said that these genius figures do not reflect the truth.”

Sarpten’s comments come after Green Action Group board chairwoman Feriha Tel had criticised the previous month’s analysis results for not including any figures.

“I will share more sea water analysis results, the sea in Nicosia is clean, you can swim in it,” she quipped.

Even if the current figures are truthful, however, the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s guidelines say that people can become ill when exposed to as little as 100 cfu per 100ml of E. coli.

Such exposure can cause “severe and often bloody diarrhoea and abdominal cramps”.

The EPA’s guidelines also suggest that people can become ill when exposed to as little as 30 cfu per 100ml of intestinal enterococci.

Symptoms of exposure include vomiting, diarrhoea, shortness of breath, chest pain when breathing, a stiff neck, pain or burning during urination, and swollen, red, tender, or bleeding gums.

While none of the beaches in the north breached 100 cfu per 100ml of E. coli, several, including Long Beach in Trikomo, Glapsides Beach in Famagusta, and the Deniz Evi beach between Varosha and Deryneia, all had markedly more than 30 cfu per 100ml of intestinal enterococci in their water.