The Food Engineers' Chamber of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Technical and Professional Engineers and Architects (KTMMOB) has called for greater transparency in school water safety following reports that high levels of coliform bacteria were detected in the water tank of a primary school in Nicosia. Chamber President Beste Oymen issued a written statement describing the situation as deeply alarming.
Oymen called on authorities to publicly disclose how frequently school water tanks and drinking water systems across the country are tested and inspected. She also directed questions to the Ministry of National Education, asking whether the affected school's water tank and distribution system had undergone the necessary inspections, cleaning, and disinfection procedures.
The chamber president stressed that the water must not be made available for use until microbiological safety is confirmed through analysis. In the meantime, she urged that all necessary measures be taken immediately to protect the health of students and school staff, and that their access to safe water be ensured without interruption.
Oymen underlined that no risk could be taken with children's health, stating: "Access to safe water is not a choice — it is a fundamental right. The priority in public health is not to intervene after a problem arises, but to identify and eliminate risks in advance."
