The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has refuted claims that its tap water contains toxins, and has assured Ghanaians the water is safe for consumption.
The claims questioning the standing of GWCL’s water stemmed from a Daily Graphic report that quoted the Water Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), as having conducted a research which showed the Water Company’s treatment plants are incapable of removing algae toxins.
The research also alleged that the GWCL, only tested the treated water for bacteria and not toxins from algae.
[contextly_sidebar id=”Xn4AD1d1Jjme6hgOPOIR23olqoRaXgHp”]But responding to the issue on the Citi Breakfast show, the Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Water Company, Stanley Martey, assured Ghanaians the water distributed by the company is meets accepted standards.
Responding to the research in question which was carried out in 2008, Mr. Martey noted that the GWCL has not been able to study the CSIR report, but stated that they carry out their own regular research on the raw water they extract at their treatment plants.
Citing the Weija treatment plant as an example, he explained that, “we do analysis of the raw water on daily basis and the when we extract the water for treatment, on an hourly basis at every stage of the treatment process, we also do tests… So we meet the standards. We make sure we take care of all these things that we are talking about, all these toxins, pollutants and all that.”
Mr. Mantey further assured that the water piped into homes are free of contaminants owing to their their thorough treatment processes.
“We have strategic locations where we introduce some chemicals into the system so that it will take care of further contaminants… so the water that gets into our home out there is very good, very potable and meets the standards so we shouldn’t fear at all when we have to consume the water.”
90% of sachet water just raw tap water
The 2014 Demographic and Health Survey report by the Ghana Health Service and the Ghana Statistical Service revealed that 43% of Ghana’s urban dwellers depend on sachet water as a source of drinking water.
Responding to this survey earlier this year, Mr. Martey, alleged that more than 90 percent of sachet water on the market was just raw tap water repackaged by various sachet water producers.
His sentiment run contrary to the belief that sachet water is properly treated and therefore better than the raw resource directly supplied by the GWCL.
But the President of the National Association of Sachet and Packaged Water Producers, Magnus Nunoo said the claims that most of them only repackage water from GWCL without treatment are untrue.
Mr. Nunoo said most of the sachet water companies use water from GWCL as their primary source but submit it for further treatment.
He added that the products and facilities of sachet water companies are subjected to checks by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA).
–
By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana