The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has taken a significant step towards ensuring the provision of safe and reliable drinking water by inaugurating water laboratory.
The facility aims to produce potable water for public consumption while verifying the authenticity of products on the market that have been cleared for consumption.
During the inaugural ceremony, Dr. Ishmael Ackah, the Executive Secretary of PURC, emphasized the commission’s core mandate of guaranteeing healthy drinking water for the public. He acknowledged the concerns raised by consumers regarding water quality and emphasized the need to provide assurance to both consumers and stakeholders that the water they consume is thoroughly tested and of high quality.
Dr. Ackah further stated that PURC, as an administrative body, monitors service delivery and product quality to ensure customer protection. The establishment of the water laboratory represents a significant milestone in fulfilling this mandate and striking a balance between consumer interests and utility requirements.
“This is a first step , a number of things are ongoing , the water directorate have been doing their regulatory audit of water systems , regional audit of water quality issues and they are doing a lot of work to ensure that you have water and you have safe water to drink and I want to applaud and congratulate them for spearheading the establishment of this laboratory,” he added.
In agreement, Ing. Emmanuel Fiati, the Managing Director of Water Services and Performance Monitoring, highlighted the importance of the new facility, emphasized that having an in-house laboratory enables PURC to assess the quality of drinking water firsthand, saving both time and money. Previously, when consumers reported issues with the water supply, such as discoloration, it would take time to send samples to third-party laboratories for analysis.
With their own laboratory now operational, the resolution of problems will be expedited, and the team will be able to conduct personalized analyses throughout the supply chain.
“In terms of the water, this includes the product quality and for us to be able to get the quality, we have to sample the water and test it. And in the past when we were not having our own lab, if the consumer complains about an issue , either the water is brown we have to take the water to a third lab to test normally this takes some time but currently that we have established our own its going to speed resolution of complains because we can go to the individual home and take the sample and analyze , it would also guarantee the quality of water supplied to consumers and we can also analyse in the supply chain if there are some bottomless in the quality of service,” he said.
The inauguration of this advanced water laboratory signifies PURC’s commitment to ensuring the availability of safe and reliable drinking water for the public. With their enhanced capacity for testing and verification, PURC aims to maintain rigorous quality standards and safeguard the well-being of consumers.