Water companies operating without a license have 15 days to fix their status and comply with health standards, or face closure, the health and industry ministers warned Thursday.
Health Minister Wael Abu Faour and Industry Minister Hussein Hajj Hasan vowed to clamp down on illegal water companies during a meeting between the two, warning that they posed a risk to public health.
“There is ongoing communication between the Industry and Health Ministries over a certain issue, and that is the water distribution companies,” Abu Faour said in remarks issued after the meeting.
Abu Faour complained that there existed a large number of companies operating without licenses or inspection that have propped up because of the state’s "negligence" in not providing water to its citizens.
"There is no official guarantee that the state can give to the citizens to assure them that the water they buy and drink is clean and meets proper health standards,” he added.
Abu Faour said that there is cooperation between him and Hajj Hasan over the duties of their ministries, and that there was no dispute between them over who has the right to issue licenses to water distribution companies.
He also noted that the Health Ministry has issued decisions in the past to close down all institutions that did not conform to standards and did not submit requests for licenses.
“Until now, there are 152 companies that have submitted requests... These companies are able to pursue their work, and have been given temporary documents by the ministry that allows them to remain open,” he said.
Hajj Hasan informed companies that they were free to submit their requests at either the Health or Industry Ministry any time before the 15-day deadline.
He also said there were two draft laws on the table related to organizing the water sector in a better manner, but expressed disappointment over what he said was “years of bureaucratic obstacles standing in the way of agreeing on laws and implementing them.”
He added that the two ministers agreed to test water samples from different companies and labs. Bottles used to store the water will also be checked.
Hajj Hasan also reiterated Abu Faour’s warnings about tampering in the water sector.
“From now on there will be no leniency in this matter, and companies will face immediate closure," he said.
