The Dagupan City Health Office (CHO) is poised to close more  of the 37 water refilling stations in this city that refuse to comply with the requirements set by the Health department to operate as it issued three initial notices of closure last week.

 

Dr. Leonard Carbonell, city health officer said his office had advised the 40 operators of water refilling stations here last year about a directive from the Department of Health (DOH) regarding the new implementing rules and regulations covering their operations.

 

But he noted that up until last week, many failed to comply with the requirements including application for operational permit from the DOH at the regional office in San Fernando City, La Union, Certificate of Potability, a water site clearance from CHO, plans and specifications of refilling stations approved by a sanitary engineer.

 

He said all sanitary permits issued them in January were conditional pending compliance with the DOH requirements.

 

The water stations have also been required to submit their water for testing by a DOH-accredited laboratory for bacteriological, physio-chemical and biological analyses by having their water examined by a DOH accredited laboratory, Carbonell said.

 

Another basic requirement is the presentation of a certification course of operators, he added.

Carbonell said the DOH had alerted him informing him that no application from the operators in the city has been received by the DOH regional office.

 

In response, he wrote the operators last Feb. 8 and gave them three weeks to comply with the requirements and secure the necessary permits.

 

After Feb. 24, sanitary inspectors notified the owners of their deficiencies and were advised to correct them. When they went back to the refilling stations, no action was made by the operators prompting the CHO to do the necessary actions, Carbonell said.

 

Finally, upon the advice of City Legal Officer Geraldine Baniqued, Carbonell wrote Mayor Benjamin Lim recommending the closure of three erring establishments. “We don’t want gastro-enteritis to occur again, similar to what happened in 2004,” Carbonell said. – EVA

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