City deep well operators given sanitary compliance deadline

LEVELING UP WATER SANITATION STANDARDS. As random water sampling continues in the city, the Sanitation Division of the City Health Services Office (CHSO) notes that some bulk water delivery companies are starting to comply with the corrective measures required of them as per the sanitary order issued by the division on Jan. 31, 2024. (Contributed Photo/APR)

BAGUIO CITY Deep well operators in the city were given until February 13 to comply with the sanitary order issued by the Sanitation Division of the City Health Services Office.

Sanitation Division officer-in-charge Roberto Bruce Colewan said the order issued on Jan. 31, 2024 required all deep well operators to comply with the corrective measures recommended by their office to level up the sanitation standards in their work stations as part of the more stringent policies to ensure water safety in the city.

The order mandates deep well operators to require their employees to use personal protective equipment like hair nets, rubber gloves and boots. 

The city also recommended that employers provide uniforms to their employees for proper identification.

Moreover, the order directed deep well operators to bar delivery trucks without business permits from drawing raw water from them.

Previously, it was decided that water delivery firms operating without business permits would receive notices of violation.

Legitimate firms drawing water from unauthorized sources risk permit cancellation.

The sanitary order also required deep well operators to submit a list of delivery trucks they are serving including the name of truck owners, addresses and contact numbers for monitoring purposes.

This is in line with the memorandum of Mayor Benjamin Magalong last January 30, 2024 directing the Local Drinking Water Quality Monitoring Task Force to submit an inventory report on water delivery trucks including an assessment of their compliance with water quality measures and recommendations for improvement or corrective actions.

Colewan said continuous random testing is conducted among water delivery businesses, including their delivery trucks.

He also said that those testing positive for microorganisms are promptly shut down, and are permitted to resume operations only after implementing corrective measures and obtaining negative test results from subsequent tests. Aileen P. Refuerzo

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