Iheanyi Iwuagwu is
the chief executive officer of I-Maconi Nigeria Limited, a company that currently
provides water treatment services to homes and manufacturers, especially those
in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. In this interview, the Water Doctor, as he is fondly
called, says untreated water is dangerous to the health of factories and the
nation.
How do
you treat water?
We treat water like a doctor would treat a patient who visits
the hospital to see the doctor. The patient must have symptoms, the doctor
would ask questions and run tests, and based on the outcome of the test, the
doctor would administer the appropriate treatment. In a similar manner, we take
samples of the water requiring treatment, analyse it by checking the parameters
of the water. These parameters are measured against mandatory water standards
set by the World Health Organisation or the Nigeria Standard for Drinking Water
Quality. We take note of the result or findings got from the analysis done and
administer the appropriate treatment for the water. It is a standard policy for
us as the Water Doctor to follow this procedure. We would not do it any other
way. We have challenges sometimes with clients who feel analysing the water
samples is an additional cost and assume we can know the problems of the water
by just physical examination. There are microbiological elements that must be
analysed, which the naked eye cannot see, and if these are not taken care of,
these elements could seriously endanger one’s health.
Some people also say they do not drink water from their taps and
only use it to wash dishes, clothes, vehicles, water gardens, and bath. Using
untreated water for these purposes also has negative implications. You
experience damage to your car paint over time; hardness in your water causes
clogging in plumbing pipes. You also experience damage to your heaters,
kettles, and sanitary ware when you constantly use untreated water. Also
not to forget skin problems may develop in people who use untreated or partly
treated water to bath. Some dermatological related problems arise as a result
of bathing with unsuitable water.
Manufacturers,
especially those in the food and beverage industry, spend a lot on clean water.
What’s your relationship with these manufacturers?
Yes they do. In addition to water treatment services, other
services we provide include supply, installation and maintenance of water
filtration systems. We have consulted for and supplied some manufacturers with
filtration systems, one of which is the Reverse Osmosis system which
manufacturers in the food and pharmaceutical industries use in as part of their
manufacturing process. Reverse osmosis is a more effective filtration process
when it comes to removing many types of dissolved and suspended participles
from water, including bacteria, and it is used in both industrial processes and
the production of potable water.
Reverse osmosis is a more economical option for concentrating
food liquids such as fruit juices than conventional heat-treatment processes.
Its advantages include a lower operating cost; less exposure of production personnel
to chemicals, thereby eliminating such related health hazards; and the ability
to avoid heat-treatment processes, which makes it suitable for heat-sensitive
substances such as the protein and enzymes found in most food products.
For pharmaceutical products, we all take medicines manufactured
by these companies. Water required for the production of pharmaceutical
products must not have impurities. Hence the need to purify the water before it
goes through the other manufacturing processes. We also train staff of some of
these manufacturing companies on how to operate and maintain the reverse
osmosis system.
How
affordable are your services to SMEs?
I think it depends on the type of SME? SMEs involved in the food
or beverage sector such as eateries, drink or ice cream businesses, to mention
just a few, require our services. We have situations where some SMEs that are
renting their business locations are reluctant in taking up borehole or the
initial water treatment costs because they feel it’s the responsibility of the
landlord. For some it is imperative and they go ahead and take on the cost
while some others seek other alternative solutions depending on their
purchasing power. For us at the Water Doctor, it’s in our DNA to assist clients
in getting affordable access to water, so knowing the tough business terrain
SMEs face, we strive to give them a solution that will meet or come close to
their budget. Through education, we help the client understand and appreciate
the importance of having clean water, the savings they make in the long term,
and the value we bring to them. This way they have a clear understanding
and are more realistic about the situation.
We have
the so-called ‘pure water’ companies scattered around the country. How clean is
the water they offer to Nigerians?
Well, I would like to point out that the regulators have this
responsibility. The regulator being NAFDAC is doing a good job in registering,
monitoring and enforcement in the food and beverage sector. But water packaging
companies also have the responsibility to do the right thing, which some do. We
have situations where some of these companies aren’t aware of new regulations
and requirements from Federal or State regulatory bodies. In this case I
believe more awareness and public enlightenment are required. We try to and
would also advise water producers to seek information from the right sources on
these matters.
Some
states in Nigeria have serious waterborne diseases. Have you ever tried to
reach these states?
We are moving towards our vision one step at a time. We exist to
add value to humanity. Our goal is to reach Nigerians in rural and urban areas
and provide them with affordable access to clean water. We cannot do this
alone, but with collaboration the private sector and government. We have plans
in the pipeline to reach other areas in Nigeria. Currently we are working with
Bethesda Child Support Agency, an NGO whose vision is to create for
disadvantaged children an enabling environment through education that empowers
them to thrive, grow and develop to their full potential. Bethesda has five
schools in poor communities with over 470 children who they cater for. Bethesda
recently started a non-profit water bottling business where the proceeds from
the sales of the water go to maintaining the schools and keeping the children
in school. We are currently offering consulting services pro bono as we share
the same vision. We have also in the past through sponsorship and partnership
with the Café Rouge Academy, a discipleship institute whose goal is equipping
leaders of tomorrow, installed a water treatment plant at one of the
Bethesda Schools located at Bariga, Lagos, that catered for the water needs of
school and the community in which the school is located.
We would like to partner with private organisations that are
serious about CSR as well as the government in establishing similar models as
this in various communities to give access to clean water. We have what it
takes.
I have
heard you talk about 18.9L dispenser. What does it mean?
The dispenser jar is what you see on water dispensers that
require bottles inserted in them. There are so many brands out there. We have
our MACONI brand water dispenser machine as people call it and our MURLITE
brand water dispenser jars. We distribute our product mainly to offices and
businesses in Lagos. Currently, producers have increased the price of this
product due to high inflation, which has led to high costs of production
materials. I do not think producers increase cost without just cause, but
consumers complain and you can’t blame them as cost of living is on the rise
and income of most people in the country isn’t going up at the same pace.
As a result of this, the Water Doctor is pushing a concept we
call the water refill and care centre. Here, people can bring their bottles or
jars under certain terms and conditions to refill at a cost that is 33% less
than what they would purchase at the supermarket. The water we provide meets
the World Health Organisation Standard and Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water
Quality. Our water tests are done periodically by an independent public
analyst. We are located and cater to clients around Ikoyi, Victoria Island, and
Lekki.
We also offer water treatment services from this location.
Services such as borehole drilling and maintenance, water treatment plant
installation; overhaul and maintenance as well as water dispenser maintenance.
We have come to find out that most people do not maintain their dispensers
regularly and this could also lead to water related diseases. So you may buy
purified drinking water, install on your dispenser and still fall sick because
a dispenser that isn’t clean will retain harmful bacterial within the dispenser
tank and pipes. So it is very essential people maintain their dispenser at
least quarterly.
We have some other CSR related schemes in the pipeline targeted
towards those in the informal sector providing similar services in the same
community we are located, that would help lay the foundation for
professionalism, skill and expertise lacking in the sector.
Our objective is simple. Provide everyone we can reach with
affordable access to clean water. We cannot do it alone; all the stakeholders
have to get involved. It is our hope that we all create the enabling
environment through synergies that would make this a reality.
Source: Business Day
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