Sanitation code for ‘ATM’ machines

Operators of purified water vending machines in Mandaue City will soon be required to follow sanitation standards based on an ordinance being deliberated upon by the Mandaue City Council.

The Mandaue Water Sanitation Standards of 2013 passed first reading in yesterday’s council session.

The ordinance applies to operators of automated water vending machines or automated tubig (water) machines (ATM) on roadsides and neighborhood stores.

Customers drop one to five peso coins into a coin slot  before the ATM dispenses water in pre-measured amounts.

They can either use small plastic bags provided in the ATM or fill up their own containers.

The ordinance is in compliance to the Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water and the Provisions as provided by Presidential Decree 856 or the Code of Sanitation of the Philippines, said Councilor Emmarie Ouano-Dizon.

She said water vending machines have become lucrative, but are also a source of health concern after doubts were raised on its quality.

Tested and certified

She said these vending machines and water refilling stations should be tested and certified as sanitary before it is deployed in remote locations around the city.

“Bacteria can proliferate especially if the water is stocked for a long time and exposed to heat, so it is necessary to have the water tested to avoid water-borne diseases,” she said.

Ouano- Dizon is also batting for the rehabilitation of the city’s aging and defective water pipes to avoid the entry of pollutants. Reporter Jucell Marie P. Cuyos