Monday, September 03, 2007 Measure to regulate water refillers eyed
WITH the rise of water refilling stations (WRS) and water retailing in Benguet, the Provincial Government saw the need to regulate the production and sale of potable or drinking water through the passage of an ordinance.
The proposed ordinance, co-authored by Board Members Juan Nazarro Jr. and Johnny Uy, was crafted to monitor through water sampling and inspection of retail water system (RWS) and refilling stations the safety and potability of drinking water.
They stressed the need to comply with some requirements prior to the issuance of permits.
Premised in the resolution were guidelines and provisions based on the Implementing Rules and Regulation of Presidential Decree 856 or the Sanitation Code of the Philippines upon the recommendation of the Provincial Health Office (PHO) which should be complied with by owners, proprietors and operators of RWS, WRS or any establishments that sell potable or drinking water.
Manuel Palasi of the PHO said as per their latest inspection on the first quarter of this year, the 83 WRS in the province showed negative bacteriological test except for the presence of total dissolved solids (TDS), indicator of water purification, among few refilling stations exhibiting more than the allowable TDS standard. He said this might be attributed to maintenance, particularly the frequency of changing filters, which vary depending on the type of the facility.
Palasi added there were those who did not comply yet with the sanitary permit but later acquired from their respective rural health units. More than 30 percent were not issued operational permits to be secured from the Department of Health (DOH) regional office.
He said operational permit would only be acquired by refilling stations with own water source or whose source is the water district in the area.
He suggested that upon the renewal of the permit, also to be included should be the method of water treatment or flow chart of water purification for consumer awareness.
