FDA to check water quality at eateries

Panaji: Following the Congress’s complaint about the quality of tanker water supplied in the state, Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) on Tuesday announced that it will conduct inspections. In its drive, FDA will collect samples of water from eateries and other commercial establishments from Wednesday.
The FDA, however, clarified that the trade of supply of water through tankers is not covered under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. There are other laws in place to maintain checks on the supply of water for public use, it said.
Responding to the Sancoale incident reported on Saturday, police seized two water tankers after alert citizens complained that the same tankers were allegedly used to transport sewage.
Congress, in its complaint, stated that the Sancoale incident has raised doubts about the quality of water supplied by the tanker-water providers. With several parts of the state facing acute water shortages since last month, people are forced to rely on tanker water supply, the party said.
Congress suspects that the Sancoale incident was not an isolated case and that such blatant violations may be taking place elsewhere too.
“It is the responsibility of FDA to ensure that commercial food establishments maintain hygiene,” the Congress said, demanding immediate action.