From Abel Leonard, Lafia
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and The Association of Table Water Producers(ATWAP) collaborate to adopt methods on current purification of table water in Nasarawa State.
This was disclosed on Thursday by the state co-ordinator NAFDAC, Mr. Dadi Nantim Mullak, at a one day workshop organised by the Karu and Keffi zone, Mararaba, Karu local government area of the state.
The NAFDAC boss revealed that the agency has been going out particularly to mob out expired, substandard and improperly labeled table water, poorly stored water and closing down factories with poor equipment and administering charges to strengthen them, but the gap is still huge ” And the gap is knowledge, when you know what you do and it consequences is easier for that person to be regulated, that is why we are doing this to bring knowledge to these teaming people” He said.
Mr. Mullak, posited that the essence of the workshop was to enlightened the people and towards ensuring the transfer of knowledge on how to produce clean and safe drinking water to those with licenses, then move on to dealing with those operating illegally.
He said since he assumed office in June ,there had been concerted effort to meet with traditional rulers and the community heads to ensure that the package water serves as a source of clean drinking water, hence the collaboration with ATWAP.
He also appeal to consumers of table drinking water to avail information to the agency for proactive measures to be taken on spots where the illegal production of the table drinking water is produced.
One of the participant at the workshop, Hajiya Ramat Sabo, a staff with Hafsat Table water, Keffi, said the workshop has served as an eye opener to her as an individual which she will extend same to other staff, added that against some of the issues on water purification which had been contemplated upon, she has been enlightened.
Earlier, the Karu/ Keffi chairman of ATWAP, Alhaji, Usman Degi, decried the rise in the cost of row materials, appealing to the government to help, stating that the cost of nylon per kilogram used to be #450 ,but at the moment it has gone up to #1200,which is over 100% increase yet then a bag of the package table water was sold at #60 to #70.
“And this has affected us so much that we are running at a lost, which why some of our members are cutting corners to enable them run the business, but not with standing we are working hard and trying to discourage some of our members who are into producing substandard water to producing quality drinking table water” He added.
Alhaji Usman noted that with the willingness and the collaborative efforts of NAFDAC, attaining quality and standard by the association is achievable, because the association alone can not embarked on aggressive monitoring that can ensured quality drinking water.