The State Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development, Dr Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja, has directed the Rivers State Water Regulatory Commission to strictly enforce the Water Sector Development Law of 2012 which mandates the commission to issue licences to water producers operating in the State.
According to the Water Resources and Rural Development Commissioner, Section 140 of the law, states that, no person shall operate as a service provider unless such a person acquires a licence from the commission.
Speaking in his office during a meeting between the Water Regulatory Commission and the leadership of the Water Associations in the state, Gogo-Jaja said it was the responsibility of the State Government to protect the lives and health of the people, adding that any compromise in the enforcement of relevant laws could lead to health hazards, as the people would be at the mercy of quacks.
“Any person who contravenes any provision of the law, without obtaining a licence from the Commission”, he said, “commits an offence and upon conviction will be liable to a term of two years imprisonment or a fine of 100,000, thereafter 5,000 naira per day, until the person obtains the licence.”
Dr Gogo-Jaja further directed all water service providers to cover their products from sun light while distributing, as exposure could cause cancer.
He enjoined supermarkets, kioks and store owners to stop displaying their water under the sun because exposure of water to sunrays elicits chemical reactions that are injurious to human organs when consumed.