According to Carlos Javier Lucas, communications manager for Podemos Cieza: "To date, the government still does not have a complete list of schools that still have asbestos roofing. Furthermore, the slow pace of removal work poses a significant risk to the health of our children, who are exposed to this substance every day."
Since a motion was approved in the Cieza City Council plenary session in 2016 regarding the implementation of a campaign to remove/maintain asbestos roofs in public schools in the municipality of Cieza, the ineffectiveness of the regional administration means that the problem continues to this day.
Not only has the work to remove roofs that are hazardous to students' health stalled, but the list of schools whose structures still contain fiber cement remains incomplete. In Cieza, the administration only records the two secondary and vocational schools. This figure does not reflect reality, since asbestos was banned in 2002, and all our schools predate that date. In schools such as Gerónimo Belda and Pedro Rodríguez, which do not appear in the regional study, we know that asbestos is present in their roofs. The remaining schools should also be thoroughly inspected by administration technicians to be included or definitively excluded from the action plan for the removal of this substance, which is so harmful to health.
According to Carlos J. Lucas: "We at Podemos Cieza find it incredible the laxity with which the Regional Ministries of Education and Health are addressing the study and removal of this danger to the children of our Region. That is why we demand speed and commitment from the Regional Government, so that it does not let another minute pass without implementing the necessary measures so that our children can access their centers with full health guarantees."
The Podemos leader continues, asserting that "Neither the administrations should remain passive, nor can the political groups in this city council be indifferent to a problem that could, in the long run, cause a detrimental impact on the health of our population due to the state of repair of the fiber cement panels that make up the roofs of our public buildings.
Let's think that those exposed yesterday are today's sick people. If we do nothing, those exposed today will be tomorrow's sick people.
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