The agency urged residents to volunteer information on any illegal water production facility in their neighbourhood.

The National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has shut down some unregistered sachet water production factories in Anambra State.

The companies were said to be producing water in unhealthy environments and operating without subjecting their processes to regulatory standards.

Louis Mmadubuatta, coordinator of NAFDAC in Anambra, told reporters in Awka that the exercise was part of the agency's routine surveillance aimed at protecting the health of Nigerians.

"We have over time visited a number of water factories that do not comply with good manufacturing standards and normally such places are shut until they comply and those we earlier closed have done so.

"Those places are sealed and we are not opening them until they respond to the regulatory action taken against them," he said.

Mr Mmadubuatta, who did not reveal the locations of the sealed companies for "strategic reasons", warned companies engaging in illegal manufacturing of table water and other regulated products to desist from such activities.

He said the companies should go to NAFDAC and register their products and those whose license had expired should endeavour to renew them.

"We are still embarking on massive sanction activities against erring companies," he said.

The coordinator urged residents to assist NAFDAC with information on illegal table water production activities going on in their neighbourhood for swift reaction while assuring them that their identities would be protected.

He further advised that consumers should look out for product name, production and expiry dates, NAFDAC number and batch number and that they should contact the agency if they had doubts.

(NAN)