Dr. Chukwuemeka Oluoha, Executive Director of the Abia
Primary Healthcare Development Agency, has stated that the proposed ban on
sachet water packaging in cellophane is in the public's best interests.
On Tuesday in Port Harcourt, Oluoha stated that the plastic
material used to package pure water was unfit for consumption.
When a plastic material is exposed to high temperatures, it
gradually dissolves and releases potentially harmful cancer-causing substances
known as oxidants, according to him.
"As a result, the public drink these without realizing
it because it is not visible," Oluoha explained. He claimed that the
non-biodegradable materials in the pure water sachets had an impact on the
environment.
Furthermore, because pure water sachets are not
biodegradable, they are not properly disposed of in our environment and
accumulate if left unattended.
"This is an environmental hazard, and because it traps
water, it may interfere with the soil's long-term fertility," the health
director explained.
Oluoha praised the government for proposing the ban but
urged it to develop an alternative packaging with non-cellophane
biodegradability.
"Before enacting the ban, the government should develop
alternative packaging to ensure that pure water producers can continue to
operate," he said. Miss Uche Okekearu, a pharmacologist, added that while
the pure water industry had aided in the creation of jobs, public health should
not be jeopardized.
"Or sometimes, when drinking pure water, it has a
terrible taste that is caused by the location in which it is stored; if stored
in a food fridge or a smelly fridge, it will have a foul taste.
"If you store a pure water bag on the floor, the ones
at the bottom of the bag will have a bad odor, and the way the package is
presented can cause water-borne diseases."
"This is because if the seller's hand is dirty, the
buyer will inhale the dirt while sucking in the water; all sides of the pure
water packaging are exposed to dirt," she explained. Mr. Maurice Okon, a
pure water vendor, believes that every government policy should prioritize the
citizen's interests.
Okon stated that he was not opposed to the ban, but that the
government should develop an alternative that is simple and affordable for
producers to keep their businesses afloat.
"Because we're talking about health, we're also talking
about safety and life; these people in the pure water business aren't
criminals, and the majority of them are labor employers."
"The government must be careful not to turn them into
something else in their quest for survival," he says, "because a
healthy person can become sick due to insecurity or die due to crime."
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