Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Africa water, Sanitation Mar- Apr 2015 Vol.10 No.2 | Page 8

NEWS in brief

Around Africa

But BBCL has stated that water produced out of Blantyre BCCL has since according to reports complyied to advised
is clean and safe.
from MBS to withdraw two non- compliant batches.
“We would like to advise our esteemed customers that Aqua
Pure bottled water produced out of the Blantyre factory is
safe for consumption despite reports in the public media Rwanda
that the product is ‘unfit for human consumption’ and has
Japan Gives Rwanda U.S.$9 Million for Water Supply
since been banned.”
Kigali — Japan has
The Competition and Fair Trading Commission and the
given Rwanda a
Ministry of Industry and Trade requested MBS to conduct
$8.4 million grant to
laboratory tests for Aqua Pure bottled water to determine
supply water in rural
its conformity with prescribed consumer safety standards, in
areas.
particular MS 699-Mandatory Malawi Standard on Bottled
Water other than Mineral Water Specification.
“Access to water
is one of our key
This request was in pursuit of the Commission’s mandate
Rwanda-water-containers-in-dirt-road
EDPRS2
targets
of regulating, monitoring, controlling and preventing acts
that we must achieve by 100%. Bringing water closer to
or behaviour which are likely to adversely affect competition
and consumer welfare in Malawi as provided under the the people will allow them to engage in income generating
activities while children attend school rather than having to
Competition and Fair Trading Act.
travel long miles liking for water,” finance and development
Findings of laboratory tests conducted by MBS showed that
minister, Amb. Claver Gatete said recently.
Aqua Pure bottled water failed to comply with minimum
standard requirements on total plate count and coliform The money will be spent on constructing a piped water
supply system and capacity building for operation staff and
bacteria.
technicians. When completed, more than 33,000 people will
This essentially means that the Aqua Pure bottled water
have access to safe drinking water.
which Bowler Beverages Company Ltd is supplying into the
market has been certified unfit for human consumption by
the Malawi Bureau of Standards until it satisfies whatever
requirements stipulated by MBS.
In view of this, the general public is being informed that the
Competition and Fair Trading Commission has instituted
formal investigations against Bowler Beverages Company
Ltd for alleged supply of products which are likely to cause
injury to health or physical harm to consumers, when
properly used or which do not comply with prescribed
consumer safety standards contrary to Section 43(1)(e) of
the Competition and Fair Trading Act.
In light of the prima facie evidence on the standard of
this product, and in the interest of protecting the public,
the Competition and Fair Trading Commission is advising
Bowler Beverages Company Ltd, that it is required to
immediately recall the product from the market given the
substantial evidence provided by the Malawi Bureau of
Standards certifying that the product is unfit for human
consumption.
The company says their Lilongwe plant is the one that has
not been fully compliant with the MS699 after one of their
purification equipment got damaged due to frequent power
outages. This contributed to two batches -BB Dec 15 and
BB Feb 16- not meeting the MBS 699 requirement.
According to BBCL, the director of MBS visited them to
inform them of the need to address the shortcoming and
that they would issue a suspension order.
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Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • March - April 2015