‘Our water treatment model has saved many beverage, pharmaceutical firms’
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 with ODINAKA ANUDU, 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 all 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 making their products. 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 has been 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 as 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.