Somalilandsun: Somaliland, has a growing, commercial
bottled water industry, but no available data on end-user water quality.
This is per a study by Espen Heen and Ahmed A Madar titled Bottled Water From National Manufacturers In Somaliland: Water Quality And Health Implications
Introduction
Many low-income countries with limited access to potable water have a growing industry of
Locally manufactured and packaged water, of which bottles are most commonly used.
Similarly, Somaliland has seen a rise in the use
of bottled water by her estimated four million inhabitants in recent years. By 2020, at least ten different manufacturers of bottled water operate from four main cities. Bottled water is here defined as pure and safe water in hermetically sealed bottles of various types solely for human consumption.
The Somaliland laws and regulations concerning water advice to use “recognized international
standards” and specifically the “WHO drinking water standards” when assessing drinking water
quality in the sector (e.g. Somaliland National water policy, April 2002) .
To our knowledge, there are to date neither official statistics nor enforced regulation of the bottled water industry.
While authorities and the public acknowledge the positive effect of making drinking water available, there is also a concern about the possibly negative impact on public health if biologically contaminated and/or chemically hazardous bottled water reaches the population [2].
The water bottle industry does not publicise internal quality control results and relevant Somaliland government bodies have so far had few means of assessing the water production in the factories.
Unsafe transport, storage in high temperatures and low turnover in the individual shops might also compromise the quality for the end user.
Drinking water in Somaliland is mainly extracted from underground sources where high levels of
total dissolved solids (TDS), often surpassing the threshold advised for human consumption, are
encountered. A hydrogeological survey undertaken by FAO Somalia in 2012, covering Somaliland, showed that samples from more than 500 natural drinking water sources on average (mean) had unhealthy
The objective of this study was to
do a public health quality assessment of popular brands of bottled water available in Somaliland.
The researchers conclude that their study indicates a need for improved cleanliness in the production and distribution system, consistent production date labelling and regular physico-chemical analysis leading to accurate composition tables. There is a need for external monitoring
of the quality of water delivered from the bottled water companies in Somaliland in order to prevent
adverse public health effects.
Read below complete report Bottled Water from National Manufacturers in Somaliland: Water Quality and Health Implications
