The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has disclosed that the sale and consumption of water packaged in non-biodegradable packs, popularly called pure water, will soon be banned in the FCT.
This was disclosed by the deputy director, Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), Mrs Aishat Adebayo recently, at the flag-off of the Keep Nigeria Clean campaign in Abuja.
“We have initiated a policy to ban the sale of pure water in nylon packs but we are still processing the approval for the policy. The pure water packets have become a menace because they are non-biodegradable. They do not decompose and what this means is that even when you take them to the dump site, they can remain there for the next 50 years,” she said.
The deputy director further said that while the board was waiting for the policy approval, it had put some measures on ground to ensure that the environment is not contaminated through the indiscriminate dropping of pure water sachets on the streets of the city.
“We have introduced the use of car litter bins so that passengers can make use of such when they are aboard a vehicle instead of dropping them on the road.
“For instance, when you are in a vehicle and you take a drink, you can drop the can inside the litter bin in the vehicle and when the driver gets to a place where there is a public waste receptacle, he can empty his bin,” she added.
Adebayo called on residents of the city and those in the satellite towns to cooperate with the board by making use of the litter bins instead of dropping waste on the streets, stressing that the board would not hesitate to try and fine offenders when caught.
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