‘Exempt schools from water cuts’

THE Schools Health Inspectors’ Association yesterday appealed for schools to be exempted from water cuts for fear that the measure would spread disease.

Association president Irene Kalinou said yesterday that the health inspectors’ aim was not to raise alarm but had raised the issue as a preventative measure.

“We have had some information that a few schools had no water in the toilets so that the children couldn’t wash their hands and the cleaners couldn’t clean the toilets,” she said.

Although this had only affected a small number of schools, she said it was the association’s role to raise the issue preventatively.

She added that health inspectors were concerned that if the water cuts at schools worsened it could possibly lead to the spread of disease, including meningitis.

Meanwhile Paralimni mayor Andreas Evangelou complained that Famagusta General Hospital had also suffered water cuts. To combat the problem Health Minister Christos Patsallides said water tanks had been set up to transfer water to the medical facility to cover its water needs. The problem arose as the hospital does not have an independent water-supply system of its own. Patsallides said arrangements had been made to ensure the hospital did not suffer any lengthy water cuts again.