African Journal of Microbiology Research Vol.3(1) pp. 015-021, January, 2009 Available online http://www.academicjournals.org/ajmr ISSN 1996-0808 ©2009 Academic Journals Full Length Research Paper Sachet water phenomenon in Nigeria: Assessment of the potential health impacts Dada, A.C Department of Microbiology, University of Ado-Ekiti, PMB 5363 Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. E-mail: ayokunled@yahoo.com. Accepted 11 December, 2008 Many years of neglect by government and inadequate investment in public infrastructure has left the public drinking water supply in Nigeria in an unreliable state. The society has therefore taken to several adaptive measures of alleviating this stress. One of these is dependence on sachet water, popularly referred to as ‘pure water’. Although easy to serve and the price is affordable, complaints abound on its purity and other health concerns. A gradual nationwide ban was proposed by the national regulator for this packaged water but the market still witnesses tremendous growth, especially among the poor. To determine the bacteriological quality of drinking water sold in sachets in Lagos, Nigeria, one hundred samples of high- and low-demand sachet waters obtained from vendors at hot-spot locations were assessed using the multiple tube fermentation method. Based on the zero tolerance standards stipulated by the regulator, a 22% non-compliance level was recorded. Recommendations that may contribute to a policy that would allow for an integrated and holistic approach in managing the sachet water industry are discussed. The need for support of such local initiatives, especially in the drive towards achieving the much publicised Millennium Development Goals for universal water access, is also highlighted. Key words: Sachet water, water quality, hygiene, Millennium Development Goals. INTRODUCTION A reliable supply of clean wholesome water is highly essential in a bid to promoting healthy living amongst the inhabitants of any defined geological region (Mustapha and Adam, 1991). The standard industrialized world mo- del for delivery of safe drinking water and sanitation tech- nology is, however, not affordable in much of the deve- loping world (Gadgil and Derby, 2003). Consequently, given the renewed global commitments towards the Mil- lennium Development Goals (MDG) marked for 2015, the importance and contribution of locally sourced low-cost alternative drinking water schemes to sustainable access in rural and peri-urban settings of developing nations can- not be over-emphasized (UNDESA, 2004). One such local intervention in Nigeria, where public drinking water supply is unreliable (Egwari and Aboaba, 2002), is drinking water sold in polythene sachets. In Lagos State, with up to 70% of the population deriving daily water provision from sources other than the state municipals (Coker, 2004), many people depend on water vendors to whom they pay heavily for provision of water to meet daily domestic needs. The production, marketing and consumption of sachet water have increased tre- mendously. There are now several brands of these type of packaged water marketed in Nigeria and other deve- loping nations (Figure 1) (Ogan, 1992; Kassenga, 2007). Water in sachets is readily available and the price is affordable, but there are concerns about its purity. The integrity of the hygienic environment and the conditions where the majority of the water in sachets are produced has also been questioned (C.A.M.O.N, 2007). Although nationally documented evidence is rare, there are claims of past outbreaks of water-borne illnesses that resulted from consumption of polluted water in sachets (C.A.M.O.N, 2007). The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) is mandated to enforce compliance with internationally defined drinking water guidelines, but regulation of the packaged water industry aimed at good quality assurance has remained a challenge to the agen- cy (C.A.M.O.N, 2007). To control the menace of polluted water in sachets, NAFDAC declared a possible ‘gradual’ nationwide ban on sachet waters to allow the manu- facturers of sachet water to start winding-down or change to bottle packaging (C.A.M.O.N, 2004).