Sachet Water Trade Booms In Umuahia

There is a noticeable increase in the number of sachet water hawkers in Umuahia as the demand for cold water increases because of the intense heat in the area.

Our correspondent found that hawkers and dealers in the commodity, popularly called ‘pure water’ are enjoying huge patronage. .

The hawkers, mainly mothers and school-age children, have become ubiquitous as they move from street to street.

Mrs Agnes Ibe, 25, who hawks the commodity in the city, said that she was making “‘a lot of money” from her daily sales.

Ibe, a mother of three, said that she made an average of N2,000 daily on sales.

“The business is profitable and this has helped me in paying my children’s school fees for this term,” she said, adding that her son usually joined her in the business after school.

Some residents said the heat and the attendant high level of dehydration had made the demand for cold pure water high.

Mrs Florence Oditah, a civil servant, said that she was now buying more bags per week than before “‘as a result of the hot weather.

“‘I used to buy two to three bags in my home weekly but now we finish one bag daily,” Oditah said, adding: “‘this is in addition to the one I buy in the office.”’

A dealer, who simply identified herself as Nnenna, confirmed that “there is high demand for pure water now.

“My daily sales have almost doubled.”’

Nnenna, whose outlet is located within the precinct of the ever busy Umuwaya Road, said that she sold an average of 50 bags daily.

“‘Our generator is always on and we always have cold water so many hawkers come here to buy,” she said.

An attendant in a factory in the city, Mr Okechukwu Igwebuike, said that “‘there is business now.

“It is expected because the weather is very hot so both the young and old need cold water now to survive.”

Igwebuike, however, said that they were not carried away by “‘the boom” because “as soon as the rain sets in, demand for pure water will drop sharply.

According to reports one sachet sells for N10, while a bag of 20 sachets goes for N60 at the factory and between N80and N100 at the retail outlets.