By Josephine Lagawo
FREETOWN, Apr. 20 (SALONE TIMES) – At a Joint Committee meeting that was held last Wednesday April 6at Committee Room No.1 Parliament Building, Tower Hill in Freetown, by the Transparency, Accountability and Water Resources Committees, it was revealed that out 369 Water Companies operating in the country, only 58 meet the standards.
This happened when the Committee summoned the Electricity Water Regulation Commission, Standard Beareau, Ministry of Health and Sanitation and the Ministry Of Water Resources that are regulating water companies in the country.
Deputy Chairman of the Water Resources Committee, Hon Dr. Mack Mahmoud Kalokoh said from the list he has there are 369 water companies in the whole of the country, but he asked Professor Thomas Yormah, Director General of Standards Bureau who revealed that only 58 water companies have met the standards to be operating in Sierra Leone.
Hon Lahai Marah, Chairman of Water Resources Committee asked Prof Yormah to name of the companies that have not met the standards and he named companies like Tony Blair Water Academy, Family Choice at 14 Murray Town Road and Machinery Pure Water at Miasiaka among others.
Hon Lahai Marah stated that Family Choice water does not meet the required standards but they are selling contaminated water to the people of Murray Town and Aberdeen.
Chairman of Transparency Committee, Hon Dickson Rogers has to stop Professor from reading from a document because he did not produce the document to the committees prior to the meeting which cannot give the committee clear picture of the water companies that are violating.
Doris Bah, Acting Director, Directorate of Environmental and Sanitation in the Ministry of health and Sanitation explained that there are lots of issues especially with the water companies, so she asked for the setting up of a sanitary court for this water companies.
She explained that they went out and saw that there are some water companies that just put water into Milla Tanks and placed it in a room and they start producing water.
According to her, before ever these water companies start operation they come to the ministry and apply and the ministry will issue application form, adding that, in the past, they used to give them free certificate but that now they pay for it
She furthered that they will do monitoring and then certify them revealing that that they have certified 211 water companies.
Hon Rogers asked the Director General of EWRC Emmanuel Mannah whether he wants to close these water companies that does meet the criteria, Mannah responded in the affirmative and stated that if he wants to close these water companies he needs the support of the Police, noting that, last year, they close 69 water companies.
Hon Marah said the committee wants to see the list of Water Companies that have been given licensed and certified from 2018 to 2022.
