Sachet water producers disagree over directives

Accra, Nov. 30, GNA - The gap between two associations of sachet water producers over new measures announced by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to check pollution in the city has widened with disagreements over their implementation.

The Union of Sachet Water Producers (USWAP) on Friday debunked the allegation by the National Association of Sachet Water Producers (NASWAP) that it was not invited to the AMA meeting with the major players in the plastic industry in their deliberations on how to rid the city of Accra of plastic waste.

"The allegation by NAWSAP is a calculated attempt aimed at throwing dust into the eyes of the general public in order to win sympathy and an attempt to run away from their social responsibility towards the maintenance of sanitation in the Central Business District of Accra," USWAP said.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Mr Magnus Nunoo, President of USWAP, maintained that the allegation against the AMA by NAWAP was "false and unfortunate".

He said the Mayor of Accra, Stanley Nii Adjiri Blankson gave stakeholders in the sachet water industry the opportunity to come up with a workable solutions to tackle the plastic littering menace in the city and based on that a committee made up of 13 people, including three members from NASWAP was formed. Mr Nunoo said it was during the second meeting of the committee that Mr Kwame Agyepon-Ntra, a representative from NASWAP who is also the Public Relations Officer, complained that the Association

had not been invited to three previous meetings. He said, Mr. Agyepon-Ntra indicated the intention of NASWAP to withdraw from the committee until the AMA had furnished it with the minutes of the said three previous meetings. Mr. Nunoo said NASWAP members then failed to attend subsequent committee meetings until it concluded its deliberations and handed over its documents to Nii Adjiri Blankson. He appealed to NASWAP to reconsider its stance and join the fight aimed at ridding the Central Business District of Accra of plastic waste.

He again called on NASWAP membership not to kick against the recommendations of the committee since they were aimed at helping to keep the city clean. "We prefer to help the authorities find a lasting solution and be part of the solution than having the product totally banned (since) this has happened in other African countries," he added. Mr. Ebo Botchwey, chairman, Executive Implementation Committee of the Accra Plastic Waste Management Committee, said from the December 3, sellers of sachet water would be given tags to wear and bins provided at vantage points. He said the committee had also contracted the services of two waste collection companies for the recycling of plastic waste.