The Consumer Affairs Authority has seized 1,140 PVC water pipes and fittings offered for sale without the mandatory Sri Lanka Standards certification mark, in 87 raids across 20 districts.
The raids were carried out on October 13 and 14, targeting retail shops, wholesale outlets and distribution businesses selling PVC pipes and fittings, the Daily Mirror reported.
The more striking finding is not the seizure itself. The CAA says 65 of the 87 premises inspected had no purchase invoices for the products concerned — roughly three in four. Without invoices there is no paper trail back up the supply chain, and the authority says it is now investigating how the goods entered the market and trying to identify the manufacturers, importers, suppliers and distributors behind them.
What the law requires
Certain categories of PVC pipe and fitting must carry the SLS mark under Direction No. 25 of Extraordinary Gazette No. 1566/1, issued on September 8, 2008 under the Consumer Affairs Authority Act No. 9 of 2003.
Two standards apply. SLS 147 covers rigid PVC pipes used for cold potable water supply — drinking water — while SLS 659 covers the joints and fittings used with them. The Sri Lanka Standards Institution has also placed the relevant locally manufactured categories on its list of products requiring mandatory certification.
The CAA stressed that a verbal assurance from a manufacturer or trader that a product meets the standard is not sufficient where certification is mandatory by law.
What happens next
The authority said further investigations would follow and that legal action would be initiated in the relevant Magistrate’s Courts where there is sufficient evidence. Manufacturers, importers and distributors linked to the products will also be identified, with further action considered on the evidence.
Consumers buying PVC pipes — particularly for drinking water — were advised to check the SLS mark, manufacturer details, pipe dimensions, pressure rating and suitability for the intended use, and to obtain and keep receipts. Suspected violations can be reported on the CAA hotline, 1977, during office hours.
A continuing enforcement drive
This is the latest in a run of CAA standards operations this desk has reported. In September the authority seized 1,400 plastic and baby feeding bottles in 144 islandwide raids, and in August an Anuradhapura supermarket was fined Rs. 200,000 over uncertified wire cords. The recurring pattern across all three is uncertified goods reaching retail shelves rather than being stopped at manufacture or import.
Not reported
The filing does not give the value of the seized goods, name any trader or district, say whether the pipes were locally made or imported, or report any arrest or charge. No other verified newsroom this desk tracks had filed on the raids at the time of writing.
