THE IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY BOTTLED WATER
INTERVIEW WITH PRINCE PAUL IKONNE
In America, we often take safe drinking water for granted. We turn the tap on in the kitchen, and water is there. We don’t have to worry about if it will be there, or what might be in it.
But there is a different reality in Africa. According to a 2010 World Health Organization (WHO) report, only 51.5 percent of residents in Nigeria have access to “improved technologies” such as piped water, boreholes, tube wells, protected dug wells and tankers and/or vendors. Everyone else gets their water from ponds, streams, rainwater and unprotected wells.
Additionally, the WHO report stated 70 percent of the country’s residents had some level of sanitary risk when it came to public water.
“In addition, only 77 percent of all water supplies nationally were in compliance with the WHO guideline value for thermotolerant coliforms and only four percent of the samples tested had adequate levels of free chlorine. Together, these results raise serious concerns about the quality of water supplied by public agencies, which underscores the need to put in place national water quality standards, backed by an effective enforcement agency.”
Such findings have led a number of entrepreneurs to start their own water-bottling operations across the country.
FINDING A PARTNER IN NORLAND
“We started our water business because of the need for good and quality water,” said Prince Paul Ikonne, of Nigeria. “There is an increasing knowledge about the current state of the water quality in our country and how it can impact people’s health.”
Ikonne, who heads the Davaus Group, found Norland International through a Google search and was quickly impressed with what the company could bring to the table.
“We decided to purchase from Norland because of the total package Norland offers for water equipment,” Ikonne said. “It is my belief American water equipment is sound and reliable.”
Indeed, the Davaus group purchased all of the equipment they would need to begin operating a bottle water facility, from a 1,500 gallon per day reverse osmosis system, the DSOZ10 Ozone System with Contact tank, to the SpectraPak 1200 bottling line.
The results quickly spoke for themselves.
“The use of Norland equipment has put our water ahead of any other water in our immediate environment,” Ikonne said.
In fact, Ikonne was so impressed with Norland International’s equipment, he made a pitch to have Norland International establish a permanent presence in the country.
“We suggest that Norland should open a distribution outlet here in Nigeria for easier access to spare parts when needed,” Ikonne said.
To learn more about Norland International and their products, please visit www.norlandintl.com or cal 1 (402) 441-3737.
