The Rivers State Government says, henceforth, any water company that does not present its facility for rigorous scrutiny and evaluation by the Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development, would not have their water products certified for consumption in the state.
The state Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development, Dr Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja, who stated this, during the collection of water sample exercise at the La Sien Water Bottling Company, Port Harcourt, said, the move was a deliberate step by government to ensure quality water production and consumption in the state.
The commissioner re-emphaised that the present administration under the leadership of Chief Nyesom Wike would not jeopardise the health of Rivers people by allowing substandard water, saying that, the ministry would carry out laboratory test of water from all water companies operating in the state to ensure standard.
Gogo-Jaja urged water business owners operating outside the state capital to give officials of the Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development access to their facilities for evaluation to engender standard or relocate their plants to the state.
This, he added, would create employment opportunities for Rivers people.
He said the ministry would, henceforth, stop the system of water companies transporting water into the state at night, pointing out that, such activities contravene the national water drinking quality standard, adding that, the ministry would ensure that such standard was maintained in the state.
Gogo-Jaja commended the management of La Sien for their quality facility, assuring that, the ministry would get back to them after it’s laboratory test of water sample collected from the facility.
The water sample exercise continues next week.

By: Susan Serekara-Nwikhana