RSG Bans Night Distribution Of Water

The Rivers State Government, has banned the distribution of water between the hours of 7pm to 6am.
The ban, according to the government’s is to rid quacks in the state water sector.
Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development , Dr Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja, who said this at the just concluded stakeholders engagement on water quality standard in Port Harcourt said the move is to protect lives of residents and investments of those who are genuinely in the business of water production.
Gogo-Jaja who warned against the influx of quacks into the sector also called on water producers in the state to use the prescribed standard micron for the bottling and packaging of water for consumption and condemed the use of substandard micron for the bottling and packaging of water.
According to the commissioner, exposure of water to sunrays could elicit chemical reactions that can be dangerous to human organs like liver and kidney when consumed.
“The prescribed micron is 38 and above. We discovered that some people use less than that while others who don’t have no business addresses and produce and sell contaminated and unhealthy water to members of the public”, he said.
Gogo-Jaja equally stressed the need for water producers to always cover their water or products while distributing them and directed that all water distributors should brand their distributing vans with their names, telephone numbers and addresses for easy identification of their products, and called on members of the public to look out for companies which distribute their water uncovered and those with unbranded vehicles with a view to reporting them to the authorities.
In their various responses, President of Water Producers Association of Nigeria (WAPAN), Mr Egberi Odiri Mackson and his Association of Table Water Producers of Nigeria counterpart, Pastor Agape Onuh thanked the commissioner for the programme and assured of their support.

By: John Bibor