Drinking water, a very important lubrication for the body system, has gone through many prices in the past few years, as Nigerians grapple to meet up with the increasing high cost of living.
Now, a bag of sachet water that was sold for N50 naira is now N500 in some areas.
Those who purchase water in less quantity now buy a sachet or two for N50.
Even the well-to-do Nigerians have gone through various means to cut costs in the area of water consumption.
Some have dumped bottled water, which now costs N300 per bottle in some cities; they now improvise by carrying sachet water in used bottles.
Some have resorted to boiling borehole water and sieving it into empty used bottles after it cools off.
This has reduced patronage and, subsequently, dropping the income of beverage hawkers.
Economy & Lifestyle discovered that to make ends meet, these hawkers have now returned to iced water (water poured in white nylons and refrigerated or added to block to get cold), as it was years back, which comes cheaper and affordable.
Such sellers are seen in school vicinities, market places and motor parks in smaller towns and cities in the country.
Mrs. Dorathy Ehis, a seller of sachet and bottled water in Benin said she had to improvise by selling ice water to increase sales.
“I never thought ice water would be sold in Nigeria again since the 90’s.
“But the continuous increase in the price of sachet and bottled water has left many drinking borehole water.
“My sachet and bottled water business is not moving at all.
“A bag of sachet water is sold for N500 here. It was sold for N300 a few months ago.
“In a day I sell 40 bags of pure water because those hawkers used to buy from me. But now, they only buy a few.
“So I added the selling of ice water which goes for three N20 because of the cost of nylon and boiling of borehole water before icing it.
