By John Dennis

The price of sachet water, popularly known as pure water, has increased noticeably within the past week across student community, IndyPress reports.

The development has raised concerns among students, many of whom rely on sachet water as a primary and affordable source of drinking water.

A student from the Faculty of Law disclosed that sachet water previously sold at three sachets for ₦100 has now reduced to two sachets for the same price within a short period.

Further observations by IndyPress across several halls of residence at the University of Ibadan show that the price of a bag of sachet water currently ranges between ₦400 and ₦500, depending on location and availability, with some vendors open to negotiation.

Speaking with IndyPress, a vendor at Independence Hall University of Ibadan attributed the price increase to rising production costs at the factory level.

“Pure water price has increased, are you just knowing? The price hike is from the factories. Many people are saying it’s because of the cost of diesel,” she said.

Similarly, the National President of the Hygienic Water Producers Association of Nigeria, Odiri Egberi, confirmed in an interview with Peoples Gazette that prices of packaged water including sachet and table water have increased across several states in Nigeria.

According to him, the price of a bag of sachet water in states such as Lagos State, Kano State, and Kwara State has risen from about ₦400 to around ₦500.

He linked the increase partly to rising production costs influenced by global developments (ongoing U.S.-Israel war against Iran) affecting petroleum-related materials used in packaging.

“Before this war started, we were buying a kilogram of water nylon for ₦3,200. Now it is close to ₦5,000 about ₦4,850 depending on the state,” Mr Egberi said.

Egberi added that the price adjustments began taking effect in the second week of March, largely due to the rising cost of nylon sheets used in sachet water packaging.

He also noted that the increase has affected the price of table water across different states, with variations depending on packaging size and distribution structures.

“The price of table water has also increased, depending on the state and packaging. Like in some states, they package by 20, some by 12 and others by 24. The prices vary but it’s between N1,400 to N2,500 for a pack of 12 and 20. In Delta State, a bag of 20, like 50cl is N2,200 from N1,900. In Rivers State, 50cl goes for N1,300 before, now it’s N1,500”

He further explained that no uniform national price regulation exists for sachet water, allowing producers in different states to adjust prices based on local production conditions.

“The increment is unfolding state by state, depending on when the producers finally agree on the modalities to implement the price increase.”

“So, we allow states to make decisions independently, we don’t impose prices from the national body because we cannot tell what they are facing in each state. So, it depends on the cost of production per state,” he added.

As of the time of filing this report, IndyPress findings show that a bag of sachet water within the Agbowo axis surrounding sells between ₦350 and ₦500, depending on proximity to retail points and supplier sources.

Image Credit: Guardian ng