Eight commercial deep well operators had been issued notices of violations and ceased operations for testing positive for water contamination during the first quarter.
The Sanitation Division of the City Health Services Office (CHSO) said these were immediately shut down and allowed to operate only upon obtaining negative test results from succeeding tests.
They were also told to implement corrective measures to ensure the safety of their commodity in compliance with the stringent water safety measures implemented by the city following the diarrhea outbreak that hit the city early this year.
Random water sampling of the different bulk water deliver and purified water refilling stations and monitoring of their compliance to the sanitation standards are being sustained as ordered by Mayor Benjamin Magalong to ensure the safety of water and avoid a repeat of health problem.
In a recent meeting of the Local Drinking Water Quality Monitoring Task Force led by the mayor, the CHSO said diarrhea cases in the city remained under normal levels and that no spike has been detected since after the outbreak ended.
Pursuant to the agreements reached during the series of dialogues conducted by the mayor to address the outbreak, owners of deep wells and water delivery truck businesses formed an organization now called Deepwell Owners and Water Delivery Operation Association, Inc. which so far has 35 members.
The purified water refilling stations had long organized themselves as Baguio Association of Purified and Mineral Water Refillers, Inc.
Also as a result of the agreements, more deep well and truck delivery companies have also applied for business permits in compliance with the city mayor’s request for them to legitimize their operations for health and safety purposes.
According to the City Permits and Licensing Office, there are 39 registered bulk water delivery businesses and 186 licensed refillers in the city. – Aileen P. Refuerzo
