11.02.2025 14:21
The President of the Consumers' Union, Mahmut Şahin, stated that the water tanks located beneath buildings are not being inspected, emphasizing the need for legislation to ensure the provision of clean and healthy water.
The President of the Consumers Union, Mahmut Şahin, stated that the water tanks located under buildings need to be inspected, saying, "The tanks are covered in algae and rusted. In some places, there has been no cleaning for years. Then, especially during these seasons, we say there is an outbreak. In fact, there is no outbreak; people are drinking dirty water."
"THERE IS NO REGULATION FOR WATER TANKS UNDER BUILDINGS"
The President of the Consumers Union, Mahmut Şahin, drew attention to the water tanks located under buildings during a press conference held at the union's headquarters. He noted that the Ministry of Health conducts water inspections, but the water tanks under buildings are not inspected due to the lack of regulations. Şahin stated, "According to our Constitution, all necessary regulations and controls must be carried out to ensure the health of our citizens and the safe delivery of their food and beverages. Citizens have an expectation of such a guarantee. Water is among the most important of these. This water must come to us clean and of high quality. In Turkey, the Ministry of Health conducts water inspections. The Ministry only inspects the tanks of water authorities and municipalities. There are hundreds of thousands of water tanks under our buildings, and there are no regulations for these tanks. There are no regulations on what materials they should be made of, what dimensions they should have, where and how they should be constructed, or how they should be cleaned. Neither the water authorities, nor the Ministry, nor the municipalities can inspect these tanks. There is not even a regulation written for the materials," he said.
"THE TANKS ARE COVERED IN ALGAE AND RUSTED"
President Şahin expressed that the tanks are covered in algae and rust, saying, "We have visited many tanks in Turkey and have seen these issues. The tanks are covered in algae and rusted. In some places, there has been no cleaning for years. Then, especially during these seasons, we say there is an outbreak. In fact, there is no outbreak; people are drinking dirty water. Many people are not even aware that there is a tank under their building. Therefore, there needs to be a regulation in place and someone should be given authority. Let’s not create regulations that will remain in limbo. For example, there is a disabled access ramp in buildings, but even a healthy person cannot go up and down it. Because did we do it? Yes, we did. There is no inspection. Similarly, buildings need to have insulation, but there is no place to inspect this. Instead of creating regulations that will remain in limbo, let’s prepare such regulations that the authorized person can inspect the tanks and intervene from start to finish. If we care about the health of our people, let’s fill this gap," he stated.