The price of sachet water has surged across Nigeria recently, raising concern and forcing Nigerians to explore alternatives with significant health implications.

Over the years, Nigerians have become known for their ability to endure pain and adapt to extreme adversity.

This innate ability seems to be playing out once more; this time concerning the soaring prices of sachet water, a common source of drinking water, which does not seem to be very ‘common’ these days.

Sachet water, commonly referred to as ‘pure water’ has witnessed significant price spikes in recent months, a development that has forced Nigerians to resort to alternatives that health experts believe pose significant health risks.

Historically, sachet water was introduced to the Nigerian markets around 1990 but its regulation by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control started in 2001.

The sachet water price which was N5 in the early 2000s rose through N10, N20, N30 and now N50 per sachet.

Bottled water, which was formerly N50, currently sells for N200 per bottle.

Citizens lament

A resident of Lokoja in Kogi State, Marvelous Sanni, told our correspondent that a bag of sachet water containing 20 sachets, which was sold for N200 per bag, sells for N400 at the wholesale and N500 at retail stores currently.

She added that due to the hike in price, many families, including hers, had resorted to consuming water from boreholes within the neighbourhood.

He lamented that wells around the areas had dried and people were left with no option but to purchase the borehole water for their domestic use.

According to Sanni, those who still consume sachet water within her environment consider it a luxury because of the premium they pay to purchase the water.

“Sachet water is now very expensive. A bag sells between N400 and N500 and a sachet is sold at N50. Because of this increase, we have resorted to consuming borehole water here.

“I am not sure of how clean the water tanks are; nobody has been reported to have fallen sick as a result of taking the water. Those who still consume sachet water here are seen as big boys.

“Wells would have been a cheaper alternative to getting water for cooking while we purchase borehole water for drinking, but the wells are dry already. A bowl of 50 litres of water from the borehole cost N50, which is still cheaper than the sachet water,” she said.

A mother of five and resident in Abuja, Margret Danjuma, remarked that her family previously consumed a minimum of one and a half bags of water daily but could no longer afford to purchase those bags.

She added she had to resort to buying water from the nearest borehole stand and package the water in empty water cans for the family to consume.

“The country is hard now; the price of pure water has gone up and I cannot afford the one and a half bags we consume daily. So, I fetch water from the borehole around and package them in battles with iceblock. That is our new survival strategy now,” she declared.

No more water for customers

Some local restaurants observed around Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory have stopped serving water to their customers. Those who serve, give customers water purchased from water vendors.

When our correspondent visited a restaurant at Bwari, the food seller was observed serving water to a customer in a black nylon bag. The excited customer said, “At least, this is better than buying sachet water for N50.”

While experts have pointed out that borehole water, if heated, is safer to consume than sachet water, however, many Nigerians do not have the patience to process their water.

A food nutritionist, Olorunfunmi Sayo, said, “I consider boiled water from boreholes safer than sachet water. The challenge is that many Nigerians may not have the patience to process their water because of other economic demands.”

She added that an average individual needs about 2.6 litres of water per day which is about 5 sachets of water.

By implication, a household of five would need at least 25 sachets of water in a day for normal consumption, which will cost N750.

Going by the current minimum wage of N30,000, an average household of five earning such an amount would spend N22,500 on sachet water alone.

While experts have suggested boiling water as an alternative, many Nigerians still depend on pipe-borne water for their daily consumption because of the time taken to boil and refrigerate the water.

According to Michael Olufemi, while he considers boiling water as a cheaper alternative, as a field worker, he still depends on the expensive sachet water to hydrate himself while working.

“I know boiled water is good but it takes time. I work in the field. So, how do I start boiling and cooling water before continuing my work? So, I am pleading with the producers and government to come to our aid,” he said.

On May 29, 2023, President Bola Tinubu ended the subsidy regime and floated the country’s currency thereafter.

The removal of fuel subsidy caused a sudden surge in the prices of goods and services in the country.

The local industries had to grapple with the high cost of production, which they passed on to consumers.

Producers justify price hike

The Association of Pure Water Producers had also recently expressed concerns over the skyrocketing prices of pure water sachets, warning that the cost may surge to N100 if urgent measures were not taken.

The association’s President, Clementina Ativie, said, “Pure water is sold for N50 now, and it is even going up to N100 per one. At our own end, there’s nothing we can do. The cost of production is high.

“As of December, we were buying materials (nylon) for N1,100 per kg. The 1kg of nylon is now N3,600/N3,700. The cost of treatment is also high. The increase in prices of these materials comes three times in one week. It is also difficult for us to increase the price of water.

“If ordinary Nigerians cannot afford pure water, I don’t know where we are going. Every water producer is funding the pure water factory from personal pockets or borrowed money,” he lamented.

This astronomical rise, coupled with the exorbitant pricing strategies of nylon producers, is placing an unbearable burden on pure water producers.

Cartel worsening price situation

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission had discovered that various product associations, including those of sachet water producers, were contributing to the current price hike.

Those associations sometimes impose lower purchase rates on producers while reselling to consumers at inflated prices.

The commission’s Acting Executive Vice-Chairman, Adamu Abdullahi, noted that the increase in the price of sachet water by various associations was unacceptable and unfair to the consumers.

Although some members of the association reportedly said the hike was due to the high cost of fuel, nylon and electricity, Abdullahi, said there was no reason for the increase in the price of sachet water because most of the producers already had their machines.

”Yes, power, fuel, and price of nylon had increased, but that cannot explain the cause for the astronomical rise in price,” he said.

According to the FCCPC boss, the situation has led to the emergence of cartels, which is unacceptable.

He noted that the commission was committed to breaking down those cartels and ensuring fair pricing for consumers

“What we have discovered is that most products now have associations, even the sachet water producers.

”When you have eggs that you brought from your farm to sell at Wuse Market, the association of egg sellers will tell you that you have to sell to them at cheaper rates, while they resell to consumers at higher prices.

”This has now resulted in the emergence of `cartels’ and cartels, anywhere in the world, are not acceptable,” Abdullahi stated.

Experts react

An economist at Lotus Beta Analytics, Shadrach Israel, blamed greed for the hike in the price of sachet water.

He accused the pure water producers’ association of taking advantage of the situation to hike prices indiscriminately.

Shadrach chronicled how the price of sachet water rose from N50 per bag in the early 2000s to N70, N100, N200 and now N500 per bag.

He alleged that regardless of the exchange rate, the associations had their ways of securing the future prices of their commodities.

He noted that the exchange rate had dropped to about N1,600/$ from about N1,900/$ when the association raised the price of the sachet water.

Shadrach questioned why the price drop had not been reflected in the price of the commodity, adding that the producers were in the market to make abnormal profits.

He said, “The main issue here is greed. The sachet water producers are greedy. They want to make all the gains at once.

“If you look critically at how it had been previously, you will notice that these people only wait for an opportunity to hike the prices of their commodities because they may not be able to do that shortly. They are futuristic in their approach.”

Shadrach called on the government to establish price control boards to moderate the prices of commodities in the country, noting that many manufacturers were taking advantage of the consumers in the name of exchange rate or cost of production.