The Enugu State government has issued the last warning to tanker drivers operating across the state over their failure to colour-coat their water tankers to indicate they are carrying clean, safe drinking water or industrial water, in line with the Enugu State Water Sector Law of 2023, saying the timeline and extension date set for the implementation of the law had since elapsed in March.
At a meeting with the leadership of tanker drivers in Enugu, at the weekend, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said that the government was committed to protecting members of the public against exploitation by some dubious tanker drivers who fetch unclean water from unhealthy environment and sell to residents as safe drinking water, adding that the state had already constituted a taskforce that would, from time-to-time, stop and inspect the water being conveyed by tanker drivers.
While reading the riot act to the association of tanker drivers against the backdrop of consistent damage and sabotage of water facilities in the state, and the severe punishment awaiting erring drivers, the SSG said that despite efforts by the Governor Peter Mbah administration to make water available in the capital city, which is already successful with its extension capacity cutting across sub-urban areas, the government had no intention of running tanker drivers out of their livelihoods, as they could still be creative in their approach.
According to him, the water law prescribes that every water tanker must bear either sky-blue colour to reflect clean drinking water or yellow colour to reflect industrial water.
He described, as unacceptable, a situation where drivers sell industrial water fetched from streams as borehole water from 9th Mile, warning that drivers not only risked having their tankers confiscated but must be arrested and prosecuted.
