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Cyprus, water

CONSUMERS are being warned to check water vending machines for the health certificates to ensure safe consumption after it emerged there are a number operating without licences and checks.

The director of the Health Ministry’s Health Services, Christos Christou, yesterday issued the warning after reports claimed some machines were so eroded, they almost certainly put public health at risk.

Christou also urged consumers to ensure the taps on the machines have a protective cover, otherwise they could be putting their health at risk.

He explained that there was a specific law for water vending machines and water transport vehicles, passed in 2004, with strict health and safety regulations.

“Both machines and vehicles need a health certificate, which is issued by the ministry’s health services if the specific machine or vehicle fulfils certain specifications,” said Christou.

Based on this law, water machines and vehicles are obliged to test their water in certified labs once a month. “Apart from that, the health ministry’s and municipalities’ health services carry out sample tests two to three times a year. But we are talking about thousands of machines and vehicles,” said Christou.

He assured consumers that the vast majority of those checked had very high levels of hygiene. “But what we have found is that unfortunately, some are installed without first securing the necessary licence from the health services, and a licence to sell water from the Water Board. By the time this is discovered by stateservices, there may be some problems,” said Christou. “This is why we are calling on the public to be especially careful.”

Consumers must first ensure there is a health certificate clearly visible on the machine. “When this certificate doesn’t exist, something is wrong,” said Christou. 

He said that also, if the machine doesn’t have a protective cover on the tap, the bit where the bottles are filled, and it is exposed to animals and birds, “this is dangerous and illegal.”

He called on the public to cooperate with the state. “With one phone call we could find machines that were installed illegally,” he said.

The law provides immediate cancellation of the machine’s operations, or a postponement until it receives a licence.

The matter was brought to light by Simerini newspaper yesterday, which voiced consumers’ concerns over rusty water vending machines and fears over health and safety.

Environmental Commissioner Charalambos Theopemptou yesterday said there were thousands of such coin-operated machines across the island, which prompted him to carry out his own investigation into the matter.

“I think that after so many years...these problems should have been resolved by now,” said Theopemptou. “My investigation showed that there are problems due to lax implementation of the law.”

Apart from the obvious health reasons, Theopemptou also pointed out another great danger. These machines are operated with electricity and if they do not fulfil the specifications, this could pose a serious electrocution threat to the public.

“We need more checks,” he said. “These machines are appearing everywhere, sometimes without anyone being informed.”