By:Washington Tumay Watson –onewash9@gmail.Com.
MONROVIA-Authorities of the National Water Sanitation and Hygiene Commission (NWASHC) have licensed about 12 Water Companies that are operating mineral water business.
Giving the overview during the Ceremony marking the licensing of those water companies , the Director for program, Planning and Technical Services at the NWASHC Prince Kreplah said the commission is the lead water and sanitation public agency in Liberia.
According to him, within the sanitation sector of the country, there are several public bodies and private sector NGO groups that operate into the water and sanitation area.
He said all of those interventions that are done by those public and private organizations within that sector, the NWASHC is the lead due to the act that established it.
Mr. Kreplah said the act of the National Legislature gives the commission the power to regulate all the sectors actors including water companies.
He however told the gathering that the NWASHC put into place a standard and enforce those standards to ensure that every water company operating in the country meets the national standard in the water sector to operate.
“On that, NGOS that are doing work in the water and sanitation, we regulate their activities including the way they spend finance, the way their programs are being earmarked in communities , the quality of the services that they provide into the different communities which have to benefit our people, the WASH Commission has the statutory responsibility to regulate ” he indicated.
“Water and sanitation are human rights issues, every citizen across the country has the right to access safe drinking water and improve sanitation environment; the WASH Commission is responsible to coordinate and regulate all the different actors to ensure that this is done “he said.
He added “today we are here to dedicate one of our various responsibilities that is our regulatory responsibility to ensure that companies that have met the requirement set by the Government of Liberia through the various line ministries and Agencies coordinated by the National Water Sanitation and Hygiene Commission are given licenses to give them permission to fully operate”.
Mr. Kreplah said 12 water companies were given licenses to operate out of the many mineral water companies that are operating in the country.se
“These companies are the ones that the Government of Liberia through the WASH Commission recognized that have met the minimal standard” he indicated.
He further disclosed that before the establishment of the WASH Commission there were no standard in regulating the water and sanitation companies stressing, that with the establishment of the WASH Commission they have put into place policy measures for companies to follow to ensure that they operate legally in the country.
For his part, the Deputy Director for Regulation and Compliance at the National Water Sanitation and Hygiene Commission (NWASHC) Mohammed Kamara said the Commission is targeting one and sixty five water companies to ensure that they comply with the regulation.
He said water companies that will be led into the process are about forty nine indicating that out of that number, 12 of the companies have been processed that received their compliance license.
Those companies that were certificated by the NWASHC included Assured Aqua Mineral Water, WASS Fresh Mineral Water, Zuma Pure Mineral Water, Four Brothers Incorporated, Mekki’s Water Incorporated, Mamuka and Son or Ducor water , the Reservoir Mineral Water, Destiny Aqua Company , Beat Aqua Water Factory, Liberty Investment Limited , Mother Nature Natural Drinking Water Incorporated and Duk’s Mineral Water Incorporated.
Also speaking the Director for Occupational and Environmental Health at the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) Amos Gborie said the event was the first in the history of the country for the Government and the water companies to work in a smooth working relationship.
He said the water companies are playing a vital role in providing better water for the people of Liberia for drinking something that is helping to prevent water diseases.
For their part, the General Manager of the Four Brothers Incorporated Ade Richards and the Chief Executive Officer of Assured Aqua Mineral Elissha Mehn expressed gratitude to the staff at both NWASHC and NPHIL for the vigorous process that led to their success in obtaining a license.
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