THE PAN AMERICAN Health Organization (PAHO) has denied an allegation circulating on Whatsapp that it has warned the Barbados Government about the quality of the island’s water supply.
In a statement issued today, PAHO said it supported the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) and the Ministry of Health on water quality. And further, it stressed, the drinking water quality produced by the BWA met the World Health Organization’s guidelines values.
The international organisation made it clear that it does not do independent assessments of water quality and therefore cannot issue any notices to Government or the public. “PAHO has not given warnings regarding contamination of the water in Barbados, neither to the Government nor to the general public.”
“PAHO does not have the authority nor mandate to give national governments warnings regarding water quality,” the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, general manager of the BWA Dr John Mwansa has assured the public that the water is safe to drink.
He explained that the water quality in the local distribution system was monitored every Thursday, and at source on a monthly basis, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Environmental Protection Department of the Ministry of the Environment and Drainage.
The results continued to show that Barbados’ water quality met the World Health Organization’s Drinking Water Standards, he maintained. (PAHO/BGIS)
