Rivers State Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development has said it is taking steps to clamp down on table water producers, whose products fall short of the four categories of water established in the state.

This came as the ministry discovered that most of the complaints it received bordered on activities of table water producers in the state, including borehole drillers.

According to the ministry, these complaints brought to the fore the sharp practices engaged by water producers that endanger public health. The state Commissioner of Water Resources, Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja, initiated the actions in line with the Water Sector Reform Law No. 7 of 2012 to minimise undesirable activities in the water industry. He created a dedicated portal in June 2020 that seeks to identify different practitioners in the water industry.

The ministry, in her categorisation, has four classes of water graded as A, B, C, and D, with grade A, being suitable for drinking, while B, C, especially D are not good for consumption.

Gogo-Jaja, who made the disclosure, yesterday, at the presentation of certificate to owners of water factories at the state ministry, revealed that out of 900 samples taken from water factories in the state for the test, only 57 were certified as Grade A water recommended for drinking, and 12 are certified as Grade B.

The commissioner also disclosed that the first step to take was to embark on an aggressive public awareness campaign on what water is recommended for drinking, insisting that unclassified products will not be sold in the state.

He said: “We have taken some steps to classify water in Rivers State. There are those we classified under grade A, this is portable water free from any challenge. Before we got here, those of us who are water producers know the standards of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and you know the national standard. We have Rivers State Government standard, which is the combination of WHO and the national and because of the peculiarity of our region, and because of the activities of our International Oil Companies (IOCs).

“For anybody to have potable water in the state, your water must pass through the test of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) so that we will know whether it has hydrocarbon element or not.

“Those in grade A are those who passed the test and the Ministry has certified that it is safe for drinking.

“We have category B. These are those whose PH levels are low, they have one parameter to correct. The reason is to let the public know whether to drink it or not.

“Grade C means that the sample has two or more parameters to correct. Grade D means the water that is badly contaminated, those who did not meet any of the standards, and those who have things to hide. So, anybody whose name you did not find in grades A, B, C, no matter how big the name is, is classified under grade D, “ he said.

The commissioner gave water factories that operate outside the state the options of either allowing the ministry to come to their state to inspect and test their well or site a factory in the state for their product to be evaluated.