By Bisola Adeyemo
About 60 percent of the body weight is made of water which makes it the main component of the body. This means a healthy human being should consume much water daily.
Water should therefore be easily accessible and affordable.
Where this does not happen, good human existence is threatened.
NatureNews observed that residents of Mararaba, a thickly populated settlement in Nasarawa state, adjoining the Federal Capital Territory are suffering acute shortage of potable water.
Most of the people living here depend on pure water, a pint of water made available in polythene bags called Pure Water.
NatureNews gathered that on Thursday last week, producers of pure water embarked on strike, closing there factories and cutting supplies.
Pure water became scarce and costly.
Not only Marabara, our correspondent who monitored the situation closely observed that Nyanya, a settlement bordering Marabara also faces pure water shortage.
According to reports, one sachet of water is now sold for N20 there.
Fola Ojo, a taxi driver who lamented the unexpected change in price of common pure water stated that life is becoming unbearable.
He said, “I used to calculate the amount I spent on pure water daily but now it has turned around. Our work requires a lot of energy which we derive from taking lot of water.
“But the situation where one pure water is N20 is what we don’t understand.”
Umar Sadique, a pure water seller said that a bag of pure water is now sold for N200 instead of N100.
Ironically, pure water supply and price in many parts of Abuja remain unchanged.
Mr Rauf Kolawole, the manager of Fandap pure water factory in Kabusa village Abuja stated that water is life to human beings and animals and plants. It is difficult to live without water.
He lamented that the economic situation now is making the business of producing pure water hard.
He explained, “The major challenge now is the nylon. As of February last year, a kilogram of nylon of pure water sold for N600 now costs N1,050 why we make 18 bags of water from it.”
He added that the cost of packing bags as well as equipment and mechine maintenance have increased.
Similarly, Elo Sunday, a marketer with Giovani pure water lamented, “We used to supply our customers 14 packs at N1,000.
“It later dropped from 14 bags to 13. From 13 to 11 due to high cost of nylon and ink,” he said, adding, “Despite the situation, we ensure that well treated water is available for the masses.”
He said, “Good quality water is odorless and free from any faecal pollution so we ensure that we produce satisfactoriky safe water for supply to our customers.
A pure water seller in Kabusa, Madam Anabel stated that the quantity of water supplied by manufacturers has reduced making profit making difficult for retailers.
“They used to supply us 14 bags at N1,000 but now it has reduced to 11 with a lot of leakages inside the bags.
“Most times we sell without making good profit.
“It’s like we are just giving customers free water to drink.