The Abia State chapter of the Association of Table Water Producers (ATWAP) has strongly opposed a proposed bill before the Abia State House of Assembly that seeks to impose environmental levies on sachet water production, describing it as anti-business and detrimental to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the state.
The bill, titled HAB 31 – A Bill for a Law to Establish the Abia State Polluter Pays Principle and Extended Producer Responsibility, aims to introduce a compulsory N50 environmental levy per sack (200 sachets) of pure water produced. It also proposes stringent penalties, including fines ranging from N2 million to N5 million or a jail term of two to three years, or both, for violators.
Speaking to journalists in Umuahia shortly after a public hearing on the bill, Hon. G. C. Uzoma, Chairman of ATWAP in Abia, accompanied by Chief Peter Donald Nwakanma, the Zonal Chairman, voiced deep concerns over the implications of the bill. He stated that while he initially welcomed the bill, believing it aligned with the government’s clean environment initiative, he was disheartened to learn that it targets producers of packaging materials, including those of sachet water, bread, and biscuits.
Hon. Uzoma described the bill as “inimical to business growth” and counterproductive to Governor Alex Otti’s developmental agenda for Abia State. He warned that if passed, the bill could lead to the collapse of local businesses and SMEs, especially in the already challenging economic climate.
The association went further to appeal to Governor Alex Otti to intervene and halt the bill’s passage to protect businesses and livelihoods across the state.
In defence of the bill, however, the Abia State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Philemon Asonye Ogbonna, clarified during the public hearing that the proposed law was not designed to exploit or punish manufacturers but to instill responsibility and environmental consciousness among producers and consumers.
“This is not primarily about people paying tax anyhow; it is about ensuring there is decorum in environmental cleanliness”, Ogbonna said.
Despite this clarification, stakeholders from the sachet water industry continue to push back, arguing that the bill could unintentionally discourage entrepreneurship and raise the cost of essential commodities like drinking water.
