No law to regulate water vending machines

The Star: Water vending machines look set to swamp most places, especially the Klang Valley, as they offer cheaper filtered water but concerns are rising that no law is in place to regulate them.
The Health Ministry currently does not have the power to issue licences or regulate the water quality of the estimated 1,000 water vending machines nationwide that offer filtered water to consumers at only 20 sen per litre.
Operators who wish to install these machines need only apply for a licence through their local council and adhere to the licensing guidelines.
The ministry’s Food Safety and Quality division director Dr Abdul Rahim Mohamad said they had received calls from the public voicing concerns on whether the water from these dispensers were safe for consumption or properly filtered and maintained.
“From our findings, the water is safe for consumption but we need to set a regulation as we don’t want companies to offer unsafe or sub-standard quality of water to consumers.
“We do monitor the quality from time to time but we do not have a law presently to issue licences or regulate the operators,” he said.