Angela Onwuzoo
Experts are worried that Nigeria, already with a high disease burden, may witness an outbreak of cholera, dysentery, typhoid and gastrointestinal infections as the skyrocketing price of sachet water may push many people back to drinking ice water (water manually packaged in nylon).
Recall that sachet water manufacturers, under the aegis of the Association of Table Waters Producers, on Tuesday, raised the alarm that pure water now sold at N50 per sachet, is heading for N100 per sachet due to the high cost of procuring production materials.
According to them, they are faced with challenges ranging from the high cost of diesel to lack of power, as well as the very high cost of production.
They stated that if pure water is sold at N100 per sachet, many Nigerians who are struggling to survive will not be able to afford it, and therefore, might return to the days of drinking ice water.
The producers warned that an increase in the price of sachet water may lead to an outbreak of waterborne diseases in the country.
There are reports already that the sale of ice water has returned in some states including Oyo and Edo, following the spike in the price of sachet water.
Physicians fear that going back to the days of ice water would give rise to waterborne diseases, warning that drinking contaminated water has severe health consequences that could even lead to death, if poorly managed.
The experts urged the government to urgently address the problem and provide portable water for Nigerians, warning that any outbreak of such as cholera, diarrhoea, and gastrointestinal infections amid the hardship in the country would lead to high fatalities.
According to them, many Nigerians who cannot afford the price of a sachet water will certainly not have the resources to access care when they come down with these diseases, especially when payment for healthcare in the country is still out of pocket
Before the advent of sachet water in Nigeria, there was great patronage for ‘ice water’ by Nigerians who could not afford bottled water. ‘Ice water’, which was selling for N1 per wrap, was very popular as of then in the country until sachet water arrived on the scene many years ago.
Sachet water was selling at an affordable price of N5 when it was introduced and Nigerians quickly switched to it, citing its safety over ice water.
Experts who spoke exclusively with PUNCH Healthwise said many Nigerians would rather patronise ice water rather than sachet water if the price is beyond their reach, citing the hardship in the country and a surge in the price of food items.
The World Health Organisation says contaminated water and poor sanitation are linked to the transmission of diseases such as diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis, A, typhoid and polio.
“Absent, inadequate, or inappropriately managed water and sanitation services expose individuals to preventable health risks.
“This is particularly the case in health care facilities where both patients and staff are placed at additional risk of infection and disease when water, sanitation, and hygiene services are lacking”, the WHO said.
A scientist and Professor of Paediatrics at the Department of Paediatrics, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Olugbenga Mokuolu, said the government should be worried about the implications of Nigerians not having access to safe drinking water.
He said, “If people stop having access to clean water, then we are going to suffer consequences of water-borne diseases like cholera, typhoid, and sleeping sickness. Those are the conditions that we should particularly be worried about.
‘Packaging water in a nylon (ice water) should be discouraged and people should stop buying water from sources that are prohibited.
“We should be worried about the situation and I don’t think the price of pure water should only be our concern.
“The question is why is it that as a country we are practically forgetting the basic duty of provision of pipe borne water to the people?
“So I think that we should not take something abnormal to become the norm.”
According to him, it is not appropriate for people to generate water, power, and everything on their own.
The researcher pointed out that water from open sources such as wells and rivers is unsafe for drinking.
“Once we are not getting our water from a municipal supply or a treated source like sachet water, then we have to remember to apply measures of filtering or boiling and cooling the component of the water that we are going to use for drinking”, the paediatrician advised.
Decrying the poor pipe-borne water supply in the country, the don said, ” We just pray that the government will continue to prioritise this kind of social amenities.
” I don’t tend to hear too much about water projects where we are taken to lay pipes to have water come into peoples’ houses.
“So most houses live on boreholes and other sources of water. But then, we must admit that the sachet water has equally contributed in terms of access to good quality water provided the sachet water themselves have been properly manufactured.”
He advised Nigerians to be mindful of the sources of water they drink.
Mokuolu urged the government to provide potable water to Nigerians as a basic necessity of life.
Corroborating his view, a Family Physician, Dr Jide Onyekwelu, described the situation as a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.
Onyekwelu who is the Secretary-General of the Nigerian Medical Association explained that drinking from unsafe water sources, such as those tied in nylon would lead to outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as cholera
and gastrointestinal infections.
“We are going to witness an outbreak of these diseases if the masses are unable to have access to affordable drinking water and there is no universal health coverage in the country.
“Payment for healthcare is still out of pocket and a lot of the masses are the ones who drink this sachet water.
“If people can’t afford the price of sachet water, how will they be able to pay for care when they come down with these waterborne diseases.?It is really sad and a time bomb waiting to explode”, the physician lamented.
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