Safe By Standard: Understanding The Standards for Safe Drinking Water
Water is a fundamental need for daily life. We utilize water for consumption and sanitation purposes and have become acutely aware of the importance of clean and uncontaminated water in protecting our health and reducing the spread of illnesses. It is for this reason, as part of the mandate for consumer protection and quality development the Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards develops standards to ensure the production of consistently safe and high-quality water provided for human consumption. Two such standards, SLNS 29:2017 Specification for Packaged Water and SLNS 89: 2021 Drinking Water Microbiological, Physical, Aesthetic, Radioactive and Chemical Properties –Specification speak directly to ensuring safe consumable water is provided on the market in Saint Lucia.
What is SLNS 29:2017 and SLNS 89:2021?
SLNS 29:2017 Specification for Packaged Water
This is a compulsory standard which entails requirements for purity, treatment, bacteriological acceptability, packaging and labelling of all waters that are pre-packaged for sale and used as beverages or in foods. This standard helps protect consumers by setting the requirements for the safety, quality, packaging, and labelling of bottled drinking water sold in Saint Lucia. It ensures that packaged water meets established standards before it reaches the marketplace.
This standard does not apply to water distributed by the public water supply system, to carbonated beverages, soda water or to packaged water sold for purposes other than as a beverage.
SLNS 89: 2021 Drinking Water Microbiological, Physical, Aesthetic , Radioactive and Chemical Properties –Specification
This standard alternatively addresses the requirements, methods of sampling and test methods for potable and natural drinking water intended for human consumption. This standard is applicable to drinking water provided through municipal drinking water systems, piped utility distribution networks, private drinking water networks, trucking or tanker systems used in cases of emergency. By establishing the requirements for safe drinking water supplied through public and private distribution systems, SLNS 89:2021 assists in protecting public health by ensuring the water people drink meets established quality standards.
This standard is not applicable to pre-packaged or packaged water that has been purified, treated or packaged as mineral, spring or natural waters for direct consumption by the consumer.
The Importance of SLNS 29:2017 and SLNS 89:2021
Irrespective of water source, by establishing a basis for monitoring and test water the treatment and purity of the water being consumed in Saint Lucia, these standards above all contribute significantly towards safeguarding public health. Beyond this critical purpose these standards are also relevant as they:
- Ensures consistent quality of the water supply.
- Promotes transparency through the appropriate packaging and labelling of packaged water. This allows consumers to make informed decisions.
- Promotes safe drinking water supplies by ensuring that watered delivered through public and private networks are fit for consumption.
- Supports regulatory oversight and accountability by offering a benchmark against which the quality of drinking water can be assessed and maintained.
- Strengthens public confidence by reassuring consumers that packaged water and water supplied to homes businesses and communities is subject to recognized quality standards.
Water is a vital protector of life and health, a responsibility which cannot be compromised. The Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards provides a framework through the development of standards such as SLNS 29:2017 and SLNS 89:2021which guarantees that both packaged water and public water supplies meet recognized benchmarks for quality and safety. These standards allow producers and distributors to be held accountable ensuring that every drop of water reaching homes and businesses in the country are safe and trustworthy. In a world where the importance of resources such as water is becoming increasingly relevant the Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards continues to serve as a catalyst for quality encouraging the consistent application of standards that help ensure the safety of the water consumed by the people of Saint Lucia.