In this concluding part of our investigative story on the conditions of different brands of sachet water sold to unsuspecting consumers in Lagos as ‘pure’, HANNAH OJO reports on the result of the second batch of 15 laboratory-tested samples randomly selected in the five divisions of Lagos. With six of the samples revealing acidic content beyond the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards, environmental factors and acute water shortage appear to be prime reasons for the contamination of water sources in the state.
LAGOS residents who drink ‘pure water’ would have to be more discerning in their choice as six out of another set of 15 laboratory-tested sachet water revealed high acidic content. The pH level of the six acidic water ranged from 4.64 to 6.22, falling below the WHO minimum requirement of 6.50 for potable water. Last week, The Nation had published results from the first 15 samples out of which nine samples recorded the presence of contaminants such as coliform, microbial count, acidity and pathogenic bacteria.
The test also revealed LASPOTECH water has a slightly low pH at 6.22, with the analyst recommending treatment. The samples were selected in the month of August.
The result of the second batch brings to 15 the number of contaminated brands out of the 30 samples taken to the laboratory. The water samples, selected between May and August, were contracted to the University of Lagos Consult Limited for a laboratory test. The physical, chemical and microbiological characteristics of each sample were examined.
A registered public analyst and chartered chemist from the Chemistry Department of the University of Lagos issued an analyst’s certificate on each sample, in accordance with the Institute of Public Analysts of Nigeria (IPAN). The brands were coded at the time they were tested in order to conceal their brand names.
A Consultant Public Health Physician/Epidemiologist, Prof Akin Osibogun, in an interview with The Nation, said the main danger from low pH of water (acidity) is that such water is corrosive and dissolves metal pipings, which may lead to high level of metals in the consumed water, in addition to the economic costs.
“High pH of water, on the other hand, renders chlorination less effective and therefore increases the likelihood that bacterial agents of disease may persist in such water and when consumed, may result in diarrhoeal diseases,” Prof. Osibogun added.
He also said that some chemical contaminants may have acute or relatively immediate toxic effects, while other chemicals may have long term carcinogenic effects.
“There are over 10,000 chemicals now being used in industries, and careless disposal of industrial wastes is one source of pollution of water sources,” he said.
His views were corroborated by a medical practitioner, Dr Shola Oguntona, who explained that when the pH of water is less than 7, it can be considered acidic, adding that a range of 6.5-8.5 is considered safe.
Oguntona, formerly of the Department of Medical Biochemistry, Lagos State University College of Medicine, averred that although there are not enough scientific data to conclude that acidic water has a direct impact on health, he affirmed that there might be indirect effects causing kidney and cardiovascular diseases.
“Accumulation of lead in children can occur faster and this can affect their growth and memory. Other effects of water contaminated by metals can be stomach upset, vomiting, dehydration from vomiting and kidney diseases,” he told The Nation.
Acidic sachet water; long time coming
The prevalence of acidic contents in some Lagos sachet water appears not to have been a sudden occurrence. Five years ago, a team of researchers at the Lagos State University College of Medicine carried out a study on contamination of sachet water produced within the industrial area of Ikeja in Lagos. Six sachet water samples were selected. The study, led by Dr Shola Ogunbona, showed that all the sachet water samples were acidic. It also showed high level of heavy metals (chromium, lead and zinc), which would accumulate in the body after long term consumption. Two other samples showed high level of chloride which was traced to industrial activities in the region where the water was produced.
Human cost of sketchy sachet water
In July 23 this year, a cholera outbreak was announced in the city of Lagos. At least two persons were reported dead, while 25 others were said to be quarantined. Another report recorded six casualties in Shomolu among whom was a five-year-old Hannah Obi, an 18-year-old simply identified as Clement and a 66-year-old woman, Risikat Okubena Majolagbe. In a space of one month, there were 26 cases and six deaths, according to records obtained from a government official, who pleaded anonymity.
Also, data The Nation exclusively obtained from the Lagos State Ministry of Health revealed places like Epe, Ijede, Harvey Road (Yaba) and Shomolu as hotspots for cholera between 2014 and 2015. However, there are usually many unreported cases of deaths and illnesses arising from water-borne diseases as majority of Lagos residents are cut off from potable water supply.
The Lagos State Water Corporation only produces 215 million gallons of water per day for a population of 24 million people, leaving a deficit of over 500 million gallons per day (MGD).
The sketchy alternative citizens are faced with in the quest for potable water has resulted in the death of children. Most grievous was the death of 25 children from Otodo Gbame, a slum in Ikate Eti Osa Local Government Area in February 2016. The children died after drinking the community’s pathogen-infected water.
Again, in March this year, there was another ‘water tragedy’ at Queens College, a government secondary school in the Yaba area of Lagos where three students died and scores of others were hospitalised as a result of a gastroenteritis epidemic contracted through contaminated water sources within the school environment.
Unenviable romance with waste, effluents
With 13, 000 metric tonnes of waste generated in the state per day, Lagos has always had an unenviable romance with waste. Sadly, there are also many industries who flout environment rules by discharging untreated effluents into waste water. This invariably has affected the quality of water aquifers in the state, leading to contamination from source in most cases.
A geologist, Mr Olawale Alo, stated that while earth materials on the surface of water are supposed to act as filters, that may not be the case with Lagos, going by its high population density and the amount of generated waste which may infiltrate the sub-surface.
He counselled: “With Lagos being a coastal city, toxic materials produced from waste can easily infiltrate down, thereby polluting the water aquifers. The shallower water is more susceptible to pollution. Even the deep aquifers can have the issue of marine incursion such that the water would be salty. What that means is that if people must drill boreholes, it is better to do a geo-physical survey so that the deeper aquifers are targeted.”
The Lagos State Water Corporation is responsible for water supply across the state. Bedevilled by continuous population increase, failed public-private partnerships, inadequate budgetry allocation, poor labour practices and unstable power supply, the corporation falls short, hence leading to indiscriminate drilling of boreholes in the state. The indiscriminate drilling can send vibrations down into the soft surface of the earth, thereby paving way for environmental disasters.
Eyewitness accounts
Following the publication of the first part of this report two weeks ago, two Lagos residents reached out to the reporter to report cases of faulty water sachet samples and indiscreet packaging sighted in Lagos. Seye Joseph had no iota of doubt on August 21 when he gulped down the content of a sachet of pure water he bought from a location in Ikeja.
He said: “I took the water in my mouth but could not swallow it. The liquid had an abhorrent taste and I quickly spat it out. I later called the number on the sachet water and all they offered were apologies. I shuddered on the ills that would have caused people because this same company also produces bottled water.”
Another response came from Mr Femi Salawu, a communications specialist who photographed an image where a gravel truck was loaded with bags of sachet water with a man lying over them. The water did not only stand the risk of being contaminated through exposure to the sun but also from the body fluids of the person who made a bed space on top of the pile.
Mr Salawu, who captured the image, tweeted at the reporter’s handle with the caption: “From earth moving vehicle to a sachet water carrying “motor”. Is water still life?” The image was captured at 8:51 am on 22 August tweet with the angle @citizen_gavel.
It has been said that when sachet water is exposed to the sun and other harsh elements from the environment, they stand the risk of exposure to carcinogenic agents. According to Prof Oluwole Adedeji, a consultant with the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, this happens when the polythene bag used to package the water is of low quality whilst being exposed to sunlight or stored under an unwholesome condition.
“Most of these bags have pores. They have holes which may not be visible to the human eye, which allow some elements in the environment to diffuse gradually into the water. The chemicals can be very carcinogenic,” Prof Adedeji intoned as he connects poorly packaged sachet water with cancer and other terminal illnesses associated with the lungs, liver and the heart.
Advising on best practices, Mr Oluwole Toye , the Vice President of the Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology, who took the reporter through various purifying process of producing potable sachet water, said citizens have a responsibility to report sachet water producers that are not doing the right thing.
He said: “Some people are actually just using water from the well, while others use public water system without purification. I am sure NAFDAC is also worried about the proliferation of sachet water companies.
What NAFDAC needs to do is to ensure effective control. NAFDAC is a corporate member of our institute, so we are always engaging them on how we can be of assistance.”
Safety valves
As a safety measure, citizens can boil their water and allow it to cool before drinking, The Nation learnt.
“Whenever one is unsure of one’s water source, it is better to boil. However, this takes care of only the biological agents that could cause disease. If you have also sunk a borehole in your premises, it will be useful to subject samples of the water to biological and chemical analysis. There are different types of filters in the market to address different iron pollutants,” Osibogun advised.
Our stories, by faulted sachet water producers, ATWAP President
Aminat Akanji, the manager of Fizco Water, one of the water samples indicted by the laboratory report, told The Nation that executive members of the Association of Table Water Producers (ATWAP) actually came to the factory to take samples of its water for laboratory test and it was certified okay, wondering what could have gone wrong while she was away on maternity leave.
She said: “Our water is okay. I called for treatment and the pH level was checked as well. I don’t know what happened with the samples reported in the newspaper. I was away on maternity leave. But things are okay now. We have called in a chemist to maintain the treatment and things have been certified okay,” she said.
When his reaction was sought on the acidic content of his sachet water, the producer of Two Ways Water, Mr Gafaru Wahud, said that people had not been complaining about the brand. He said: “NAFDAC inspected our factory before we got registered and we have been maintaining the standards. We always back-flush our cylinder and we change the filters from time to time.”
Asked how often public analysts get to test the water, Wahud said the water factory, which sources its water from a borehole, had just opened. So, tests had not yet been conducted.
On his part, the Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Polytechnic, the producers of LASPOTECH Water, Mr. Lanrewaju Kuye, said the school would not produce substandard water, considering that it produces for the consumption of both the students of the institution and members of the public.
“We cannot produce bad water and we always follow the standard,” he said. “We are a tertiary institution and we are also producing for the public.
“Regarding the issue (low pH), I will ask the consultant in charge of our water factory to cross-check. If the result is true, it will be corrected immediately.”
Also, Mr Afolabi Oluwaseyi, the producer of Jim Dee Water, which recorded a pH level of 5.65 against the W.H.O’s minimum standard of 6.50, discountenanced the test result obtained by The Nation.
“We are doing our renewal with NAFDAC. We have taken our samples to the lab, though we have not collected the result. If there is any issue with the pH, we would have been alerted.”
Oluwaseyi, however, promised that the water treatment plant would be recharged to boast its pH if per chance the hydrolyte has stopped working.
Sem-Sem Water, produced in Epe, also recorded a case of low pH pegged at 6.21. Mariam Morafa, the production manager of the water factory, said a water engineer would be called to access the treatment plant.
“This is the first complaint we have received. We would do something about it. We are supposed to do the water treatment every three months”, Morafa said, adding that the factory started production less than a year ago.
Med Oaeses sachet water sample produced in Ikeja Military Cantonment also tested positive to high acidic content at 4.64. When The Nation visited the premises on Friday, workers at the plant declined to comment as the manager was said not to be available.
Explaining why there is proliferation of substandard sachet water brands in Lagos and other parts of the country, the President of the Association of Table Water Producers of Nigeria (ATWAP), Dame Clementina Ativie, attributed the problem to the increasingly high cost of doing business on account of which some producers are trying to cut cost by using substandard products.
One of the problems, she said, is excess taxation. “Too much of taxes on the industry by various government agencies results in the use of cheap production materials by some producers to meet up with government tax demands,” she said.
She also fingered loopholes in the regulatory and supervisory mechanisms of government as part of the problem.
Dame Ativie said: “If the industry is currently being supervised by NAFDAC, SON, Ministry of Health and Environment, Lagos State Water Regulatory Council (LSWRC), and these problems of contamination still manifest, then it means there is a missing gap somewhere. ATWAP should therefore be authorised by government to regulate and supervise the industry in conjunction with NAFDAC”.
She also tasked government to put an end to the indiscriminate siting of water factories. “A number of factories should be determined in each geographical location. Boreholes in high density areas should be regulated due to waste water, soak-aways and the volume of contaminants in groundwater in such locations,” she said.
“Our members are law-abiding. Most of our members in Lagos had paid for the LSWRC (Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission) borehole permit and licence.
“We have well above 2,000 water producers in Lagos alone. We checkmate our members to make sure they adhere to the standard of operation set out by NAFDAC and other regulatory agencies.
“We insist on our members having mini-testing kits for water to check for some basic parameters before, during and after production.
“We from time to time organise training for our members on safety standards of production, storage and distribution of our products, considering their sensitivity to human life.”
On measures the association is taking to combat counterfeited brands of sachet water, she said: “We are presently working on coded symbol and number to differentiate our water from any sachet or bottled water in circulation. That will be launched very soon.”
As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to pursue availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, it appears dry tapes and unwholesome production of alternative source of potable water are prime factors exposing citizens to water-borne diseases.
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Reporting for this story was supported by Code for Africa’s impactAFRICA fund and the Bill & Melinda Gate Foundation
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