Sachet water; Menace to society

    Nigeria has enough of the discarded plastic and sachets of water which clog her gutters.
    The water sachets are a menace, and the havoc caused by sachet water producers and consumers of sachet water on the environment in the face of sachet water business growth in the country should be echoed out loud.
    Water is a big part of human lives and one of nature’s most important gifts to mankind. Essentially, to life, a person’s survival depends on drinking water and an essential element to good health. It is necessary for the digestion and absorption of food, helps maintain proper muscle tone, supplies oxygen and nutrients to the cell, rides the body of wastes, and serves as natural air conditioning system.
    It is a vital element to the mechanics of the human body such that the body cannot work without water, just as a car cannot run without gas and oil. In fact, all the cells and organs function in the entire anatomy and physiology depends on water for their functioning and it is seen as next to air. In addition, water plays a key role in preventing diseases. Drinking water should always be clean and free of contaminants to ensure proper health and wellness. This human demand for quality water for survival has driven many people, institutions and government to come out with innovative ways of meeting this need for water, one of which is the introduction of the sachet water. As the popular saying goes, water everywhere but not a drop to drink, has become a thing of the past due to the presence of sachet water in every nook and cranny of the country. “Pure water” as is popularly called, is that portable water ( assumed to be of sufficient quality to serve as drinking water), treated and packaged in transparent polythene sachets, with name, address of manufacturer, expiry date, and NAFDAC number and logo boldly printed on it. The agency in charge of foods, drug administration and control gives such numbers after testing the efficacy of a product and certifying it fit for human consumption. Over the years, “ice water”, used to refer to water, usually untreated, packaged in ordinary nylon.
 The pure water business has become an industry, like the little tree that has grown into a mighty oak. It has become an industry to reckon in Nigeria and other parts of Africa in terms of modest contribution to the growth of the economy.
    The growth of sachet water business is alarming, especially where sachet used in packaging the water has now become a nuisance and source of worry to stakeholders who are now calling for measures to contain and control its menace on the environment as well as the health of consumers due to poor conditions under which most of this sachet water are produced and stored.
    Nylon waste may have a terrible impact on tourism, wherever rain water carries the waste.

    Majority of the sachet water is sourced and produced under questionable hygienic environmental conditions and they have had cause to impose a ban on some producers but are unable to monitor compliance due to logistical constraint. Besides, most sachet water on the market does not bear the seal of the NAFDAC and even those who bear them do not meet the required standard.
    Inspite of the above concerns of the sachet business to the environment, the quality and its health implications, the sachet water business is still booming over the years in the Metropolis with it continuous effects on the environment with the government and city authorities spending millions of money to curtail the situation.
    Prof. Amobi Ilika has advised those who consume sachet water (popularly called pure water) exposed to heat to be wary in order to avoid drinking cancerous substances.
    Ilika, who is the Director of Community and Public Medicine at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, said sachet water exposed to heat beyond room temperature could be cancerous.
    He said the heat could melt some of the substances used in making the polythene bags.
    According to him, the polythene bags contain cancerous materials that are harmful to the body.
    “The most important is the deterioration of the water while in polythene bags made of synthetic petroleum; since the polythene bags are weather-sensitive.
    “Some of the properties of the polythene bags made of synthetic petroleum product materials melt into the water after sun-ray or heat exposure.
    “Thus, carcinogenic materials will drop into the water. The polythene bags also develop germs and micro organisms which enter the water through the deterioration of the polythene bag,’’ he said. (NAN)
    The government of Nigeria should attempt to ban the production of sachet water by putting in place measures to weed out companies that are not producing quality water thereby, leaving a few good ones to undertake production with the aim of reducing the amount of plastic waste introduced into the environment.
    Even the idea of weekly sanitation by Oyo State government to clean the state makes me question where all the dirts are coming from, as one would think the weekly sanitation will turn state to a "small paradise". But no, the piles of dirts which the residents of Ibadan bring out every week is quite alarming. And one can not help but notice most of these dirts are accumulated sachets of water.
   We should all forget about the topic no one has banned sachet water popularly known as pure water. The question is, do you think production of sachet water should be banned considering the fact that almost every street you pass by, has so much litter of this sachet . The problem is no longer if its hygienic but jokes apart, this pure water is a big challenge to the environment. I believe it is hindering Nigerian streets from being clean. What do you think?