Days go by, but the mystery surrounding the odor that led to the evacuation and suspension of operations at the Gkrava school complex is not only unsolved but becoming increasingly complex, with questions multiplying and the source still unknown.
Meanwhile, classes have been held remotely for about two weeks, as officials consider installing air conditioners and storage heaters to avoid using natural gas. However, following the findings of the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE), uncertainty continues to hang over the school community and the surrounding area, increasing concern among teachers, students, and parents.
According to parents’ reports, the gas odor was recorded on September 16, September 21, and October 2. Since then, the source has remained unidentified, leaving behind a puzzle that is still unsolved.
The main topic of yesterday’s City Council meeting was the origin of the odor at the Gkrava school complex, which houses about 4,000 children, as well as the TEE report. Among other things, the report states that no natural gas leak was detected on the days the inspection took place. However, it recorded serious safety gaps in the natural gas installations and also pointed out significant fire safety issues.
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The TEE report, which proposes 6 interventions for one boiler and 8 for the other, reaches no conclusion about the source of the odor, since no leak was found during the inspections. During the City Council meeting, 17-year-old Danai Bitsa, a student at the 21st General High School of Gkrava, said in her brief speech: “I am here today not to beg for what should be obvious, but to demand it,” stressing that she has not felt safe for a single day.
“We Are Asking for Inspections in the Wider Area”
Parents are expressing deep concern and anger over the situation at the Gkrava school complex. They stress that from the very beginning they insisted the schools cannot operate under the shadow of gas odor complaints without first fixing the problems and making sure the facilities are safe.
As Antonis Deligiannis, general secretary of the Union of Parents’ Associations of the 5th Municipal Community of Athens, told tanea.gr, at this stage they are not focused on assigning blame but on fixing the problems immediately. According to the parents, the entire previous period was marked by a “blame game” over who is responsible for the necessary interventions and repairs. “We don’t care whose responsibility it is, because we are talking about our children,” he says, noting that parents entrust their children to the schools and the relevant authorities and expect them to guarantee their safety.
Mr. Deligiannis also points to two boilers that are reportedly operating without having undergone the required inspections, one for 23 years and the other since 2014. He says parents are calling for extensive inspections of the natural gas network, not only inside the Gkrava school complex but also in the wider area, within a radius of 3 to 4 kilometers. He explains that they have turned to technical consultants, since they do not have the necessary technical knowledge themselves. “There is also a third boiler at the swimming pool that has not been inspected. We are asking for the process to go ahead there too, since it is connected to the same natural gas network.”
“Are Our Schools Safe, and Who Guarantees It?”
According to Mr. Deligiannis, the stance of the relevant authorities is causing strong anger, since, based on what parents are being told, the fact that the supply valve remains closed is considered enough to ensure safety. Parents, however, insist that thorough technical inspections are needed to find the source of the odor and give clear answers about the safety of the school facilities.
“We want our children to return to where they belong, which is their school. We know that remote learning is not enough, and we must also consider that this whole situation affects the daily lives of parents, but above all our children. They have filled us with anger, because if we had not insisted, they would have left an entire area of central Athens to fend for itself. We are very worried and we don’t hide it. Unfortunately, whatever we achieve, we achieve on our own, as you have seen all these days. Consider that a fire suppression system was installed the week before we discussed the issue at the City Council, in the middle of protests, while a series of interventions were made at the last minute. At first, let’s not forget, they said there was no problem. From then until now, we have been asking, and we still ask, for an answer to the question of whether our schools are safe and who guarantees it.”
Haris Doukas: Children Will Not Enter the School Unless We Are Sure They Are Safe
Earlier today, Athens Mayor Haris Doukas, speaking to Mega News 104.6, said the school cannot remain closed for a very long period.
“I am talking with the Minister, Ms. Zacharaki, and with Mr. Livanios, the Minister of the Interior, about whether it is possible to install air conditioners in the classrooms through emergency procedures.”
He also said that three entities, the gas distribution company ENAON, a municipal company, and the Technical Chamber, carried out detailed expert assessments.
“In these assessments, first, they found no leak. Second, there is no odor, and third, they list a series of interventions, proposals, and improvements for this particular building, which, I remind you, is a 2003 building that had not received any maintenance. Strength and tightness tests were carried out on the networks of the existing installation with acceptable results. The inspections found that the strength and tightness tests for both points of interest were successful, with no signs of leakage. Checks with a natural gas detector in the rooms and corridors where the pipes run did not detect any trace of natural gas.”
According to Mr. Doukas, the Gkrava school is a very old complex. “It dates back to the ’50s, and it is not the only one. Fifty percent of school buildings in the Municipality of Athens are more than 50 years old. As far as we can, we are working on all the repairs, and we are saying there is no way the children will go back in unless we are 100% sure of their safety.”
During the interview with Pavlos Tsimas, the journalist pointed out that the mayor of Athens has to convince 4,000 children, parents, and teachers that they can go to school safely. Mr. Doukas replied:
“There is a report that says that with the valve closed, there is no leak and no odor. With the valve closed, it says. So the report says that with the valve closed, there is no problem. And I say that until everything is done properly and all the corrections from all three studies on the natural gas system are made, as long as the valve stays closed, the children can go in. The Ministry of Education should also inform people and run an information campaign, so that we are all there to see, when the children go in, whether there is any suspicion or fear of an odor. As far as we can, we are doing everything. Three different, very detailed engineering studies in a short period of time, by three major organizations. We are working on all the repairs and we are saying that we will do them one by one, we will fix them, and there is no way the children will go in unless we are one hundred percent sure.”
For his part, the Ministry of Education’s representative, Attica Regional Education Director Dionysis Anastasopoulos, spoke at yesterday’s City Council session of steady cooperation with the Municipality of Athens, without assigning any blame. He repeated Mr. Doukas’s position that the safety of the students and teachers of the Gkrava school complex is a non-negotiable right.
“The events of recent weeks, with the reports of a gas odor and the need for thorough inspections, show that there is no time to lose. Complete coordination is required. Mr. Mayor, this is a moment for all parties to work together: the Municipality of Athens, the Regional Directorate, the Ministry of Education, and specialized technical bodies such as the TEE, which you rightly invited to this chamber today. As Regional Director, I assure you that we are and will remain by your side.”