Nine trucks impounded

as new measures on sale of sachet water go into force

Accra, Dec. 3, GNA - Nine trucks loaded with sachet water for distribution in the Central Business District (CBD) were on Monday impounded by the AMA Special Task Force for their failure to register with the city authorities as new measures on sale of sachet water went into force.

Some of the companies whose trucks were arrested are Mobile Water, Snow White Mineral Water, Vital Mineral Water, Holly wells Mineral Drinking and Aqua Fill Mineral Water. Speaking with the GNA, Mr Ebo Botwey, Chairman of the Accra Plastic Waste Management Project, said as from Monday, any company which failed to register its truck and acquire the monthly sticker designed purposely for the project would have its truck impounded by the Special Task Force made up of Police and officials from the AMA.

He said the trucks were charged according to the volume of water it carried and it ranged between one and three million cedis. Mr Botwey said the project could only be sustained if all the about 500 trucks which visit the CBD to supply water to their customers registered and paid for their supplies. He said all these were effort by the stakeholders in the plastic industry to help the AMA in its decision to rid the city of plastic waste and called on all producers of sachet and bottled water to help make the project successful. "It is no talk show. It is a critical national assignment and we are prepared to let it work and so I will urge the producers to let it work," he said.

The AMA announced last Tuesday that bagged purified water, popularly known as pure water, would now be sold in the Central Business District of Accra at 500 cedis or GH 5 pesewas per sachet with effect from Saturday December 1, the Accra Plastic Management Project (APWAP) of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) said on Tuesday. Mr Botwe said trucks transporting bags of the water in the Central Business District would also be required to carry special stickers on their respective vehicles before they would be permitted to transact business.

He explained that before one could be issued with permits, that company would be required to provide a business registration certificate, certificate to commence business, AMA/TMA Business Operating Permit, Ghana Standard Board/ Food and Drugs Board Certificate, full business address and contact details. "As a major source of finance to sustain the project, special Trade permit stickers will be required by any truck that would trade in the project zone. Stickers will be issued per truck per month and shall expire at the end of every month, irrespective of the date that it was issued.

According to Mr. Botwe, the permit charges ranged from minimum of GH=A2 100 up to a maximum of GH=A2 300. He said the requirements was to ensure that consumers were protected from consuming unwholesome products and curb the incidence of fake bagged water which was becoming a health hazard. All water, cocoa drink, ice cream, alcoholic beverage producers whose products were contained in plastic or bottles would be required to register with project secretariat and apply for a trading permit, he said.