The Executive Director of the Native Consortium & Research Center Edmond Abu has on Sunday, January 24, 2021, raised concern over the price of the sachet and bottled water on the eve of the partial lockdown of Freetown by National COVID-19 Emergency Response Centre (NaCOVERC), to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
The Consortium said the price of sachet/bottle water has increased by over 60% on the eve of the partial Lockdown.
“This Consortium frowns at this unpatriotic and exploitative act perpetrated by few producers and retailers in the water sector.”
He explained that “the price of one bundle (20 sachets) water for instance has increased from Le 2,500 to Le 4,000, and some retailers sell at Le 5,000 per bundle, which shows an increment of 60% and/or 100%. One sachet of water was sold for Le250, but it is now sold at Le500.”
He said that this dastardly act has taken a toll on the livelihood of the citizens due to panic buying.
“We are therefore calling on the Water Regulatory Commission to take remedial steps to monitor and correct the anomalies. We are also calling on the Trade Ministry to crack down on traders who sees this difficult moment as a conduit for profiteering thereby worsening the cost of living on the citizens,” he said.
Edmond Abu said that this act by itself is not only criminal but also aimed at undermining Government efforts to break the chain of transmission of this deadly virus.
By Hasbin Shaw
26/01/2021. ISSUE NO: 7988