Water is said to be life but when manufactured unsafely a sachet of water becomes a sachet of disease.
If you are one of those who are apprehensive about the production of the sachet water you drink, then this post might trigger you even more.
In Nigeria, sachet water is commonly called ‘Pure Water’ and something that is termed as pure ought to be produced in a purified environment. Unfortunately, there is nothing hygienic or pure about how some of these sachets water are produced.
In Lagos, the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission(LASWARCO), has sealed thirty substandard water manufacturing factories.
The Executive Secretary of the Commission Mrs Funke Adepoju informed newsmen that;
The enforcement team of LASWARCO visited some water production factories in the State with on-site testing kits and the result confirmed that most of them are operating far below safety parameters. As the regulatory body empowered by Section 313 (h) of the Lagos State Environmental Management Protection Law, 2017, to regulate the activities of those engaged in the provision, consumption, treatment, packaging, sales and supply of bottled drinking water contained in bottles or polythene bags, our principal interest is to ensure acceptable standards”.
These factories were shut down for various locations across the state were shut down for various violations. These violations range from the unhygienic production environment, failure to comply with regulatory provisions as well as operating without adhering to good and healthy manufacturing practices.
The shutdown substandard factories were as seen in photos manufacturing what is meant to be pure water in an environment not worthy to serve as a pen for chickens.
Mrs Funke Adepoju further said;
In as much as we have the mandate to ensure that operators remain in business, we also cannot fold our arms and allow infractions to fester without being addressed. The primary regulatory mandate of the Commission is to ensure that operators in the water abstraction, production and distribution industry comply with best manufacturing procedures to safeguard the health of the people.
She described the state of some of the factories as frightening and urged Lagosians to key into the Commission’s Safe Water Campaign and report any water production factories around them that have failed to uphold the adequate standard of production.
The names of these affected factories and brands were not enlisted, nevertheless, it is paramount for other states to launch a similar campaign.
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