City Life Water challenges closure

City Life Mineral Water Incorporated, a local business in Caldwell Township, Montserrado County protests here that it was wrongfully shut down by the Liberian government.

The government recently shut down about a dozen local water producing companies for operating in unhygienic environments, among other poor services that endanger public health and safety.

But the management of City Life argues that government had earlier certificated the company after it met all requirements prescribed by the Ministry of Health and the standard division of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, respectively.

It says to its dismay, City Life was listed among companies that failed to meet standard requirements for producing sachet water, thereby, immediately closing the entire operations of the company.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, 23 July in the township, the General Manger of City Life, Mr. Ahaji Omaru Sheriff, explains that the company is 100 percent Liberian-owned and mindful of the health and safety of the general public.

“We have consistently seen to it that our company complies individually with all of the various regulatory agencies overseeing the sachet water industry; These include the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the National Standard Laboratory and Environmental Protection Agency’’, he explains.

Mr. Sheriff notes that in all of their interactions with the authorities, including assessment and testing these entities have carried out, his company has come out successfully in compliance with all of the preconditions, qualification and bench marks required prior to being allowed to continue production, adding that even “employees had to produce their health clearances before gaining employment with our company.”

He continues that it has come to the attention of the Management of City Life Mineral Water Incorporated that a smear campaign hatched by some detractors in the water industry and unsuspectingly being supported by the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) has been making the rounds since 17 July 2017.

He calls on his customers and the general public not to give any credence to radio announcement and print publication bearing the entity’s name as being among sachet Water Companies found not in compliance with the law or producing unfit water for public consumption.

By Bridgett Milton-Editing by Jonathan Browne