Price of pure water goes up

Bagged purified water, popularly known as pure water would now be sold in the Central Business District of Accra at 500 cedis or GH 5 pesewas per sachet with effect from Saturday December 1, the Accra Plastic Management Project (APWAP) of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) said on Tuesday. Mr. Ebbo Botwe, Chairman of the Executive Implementation Committee, APWAP announced this at a press conference in Accra to highlight the operations of the project and to react to comments made in the media about its activities. He said trucks transporting bags of the water in the Central Business District would also be required to carry special stickers on their respective vehicles before they would be permitted to transact business. Mr. Botwe explained that before one could be issued with permits, that company would be required to provide a business registration certificate, certificate to commence business, AMA/TMA Business Operating Permit, Ghana Standard Board/ Food and Drugs Board Certificate, full business address and contact details. "As a major source of finance to sustain the project, special Trade permit stickers will be required by any truck that would trade in the project zone. Stickers will be issued per truck per month and shall expire at the end of every month irrespective of the date that it was issued. According to Mr. Botwe, the permit charges ranged from minimum of GH¢ 100 up to a maximum of GH¢ 300. He said the requirements was to ensure that consumers were protected from consuming unwholesome products and curb the incidence of fake bagged water which was becoming a health hazard. All water, cocoa drink, ice cream, alcoholic beverage producers whose products were contained in plastic or bottles would be required to register with project secretariat and apply for a trading permit, he said. He said special guards and policemen would be stationed at entry points to check permits of trucks carrying pure water, cocoa drink, ice cream in the zone demarcated as "No Drop Zone" of plastic waste to enforce the law. Mr. Botwe said the project received reports that some water producers have declined to pay the amount proposed because they were not consulted when the project began. "No person or group of persons or company or group of companies will be allowed to derail this project," he warned. Mr Ali Baba Bature, Director of Public Affairs, AMA expressed the assembly's readiness to enforce its byelaws. He said the assembly has asked the office of the Attorney General to review fines accompanying the byelaws.