ILLEGAL SACHET WATER MANUFACTURERS PROBED

THE Lusaka City Council (LCC) has launched investigations aimed at identifying and prosecuting the sources of sachet water which is being distributed without the knowledge and approval of the relevant authorities.

Mr. Bulumba has since warned that the Council will not hesitate to bring anyone to book, warning that illegal producers and traders of unlicensed sachet water in the city will be arrested.

He said the Council had been overwhelmed and inundated with complaints from residents about the poor quality and safety of the sachet water being sold on the market by unauthorised producers.

“It has been discovered that some of the contact numbers on the labels of the water sachets are fake, indicating that the sources of such water are dubious and that the companies behind them are operating illegally.

“The Council has intensified inspections to ensure that members of the public are sold water that meets the Public Health standards and is fit for human consumption,” Mr Bulumba said.

He said LCC will also collaborate with other councils in cases where companies claim to be producing water outside LCC’s jurisdiction, to verify the origin and compliance of the firms in question to protect people’s health.

He reminded all water-producing companies that they were required to be licensed by the Council and to pay their dues to the Local Authority such as business levies, fire certificates, and health permits among others.

He further said companies should also ensure that they sold water with labels from accredited institutions like the Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS) among others to avoid endangering the lives of the members of the public.

“The Local Authority warns these unscrupulous individuals and companies engaged in such activities to cease their operations with immediate effect or face the full wrath of the law. The Council also urges members of the public to be vigilant and report water sachets suspected to be from questionable producers,” he said.