Civil engineers join SOS over dangerous buildings

The association of civil engineers, Spolmik, called on Wednesday for immediate steps to be taken to update the law on inspecting buildings, stressing the need for inspection certificates to be mandated.

The engineers’ statement comes a day after part of a balcony collapsed in Latsia, and a week after a woman was hospitalised in Limassol in one of two separate incidents of two balconies collapsing. Paphos residents have also suffered such incidents, with some migrant workers seriously injured.

Spolmik sought to disentangle the issue over who has responsibility – which has become a hot potato between the authorities, from the immediate need to address the current legislation.

They called on the state to also subsidise the earthquake resilience works on buildings.

Spolmik further said that many buildings are old and were constructed prior to the implementation of the earthquake regulations in 1994 and the mandatory supervision in 1999.

They also argued that many dangers are posed using lower-end materials, inadequate specifications, incorrect supervision and poor maintenance.