South Sudan is one of the few countries in which access to basic sanitation in urban areas is lower than in rural areas; having unhygienic water can lead to a number of diseases. But it seems like the South Sudan National Bureau of Standard has been deeply sleeping and this time they want to wake up when a lot has been going on silently. Last week they gave water companies to improve the quality standard for the production of safe drinking water or be closed down. It is not advisable for the factories to be shut down just because they have failed to provide safe drinking water. The people who take this water trust in the water and the associated factories that produce them. The question now is, how could the factories stab their people at the back? The production of poor quality water is a violation of consumer rights and it must be met with serious punishment. The health well-being of South Sudanese is very paramount and it should not be played with. The Bureau of Standard must be careful this time because a lot has been happening and nothing has been done. This is the right time for South Sudan to wake up and know what is right and what is acceptable. In some circumstances, certain things should not be allowed under people’s watch. In the first place, how did these factories get registered and incorporated here? Sometimes when you accuse someone of being incompetent, you should also be mindful of your incompetence too. You cannot start a fire and then scamper to put it out or add fuel into the fire and then question why it is burning too fast. The Standard Bureau must not play it safe this time. They have to walk the talk.
