Sierra Leone is currently grappling with an upsurge in inflation, driven by the escalating prices of essential goods, including food items. Notably, one commodity recently added to the list of inflated products is the widely-consumed sachet water. The cost of a single sachet of water saw a significant uptick, approximately a 50 percent increase, occurring shortly after the fuel prices surged to NLe 30 per litre.
Several proprietors of sachet water companies have defended this price hike, asserting that it is necessary to align with the escalating cost of living within the West African nation. However, the Electricity, Water, and Regulation Commission (EWRC) issued a stern warning to the owners of these sachet water companies in response to the price escalation.
Brima Bah, the Director of Economic Regulation at EWRC, deemed this price increase unlawful at the current juncture. He revealed that the commission had recently received an application, dated sometime in August, requesting approval for raising the price of bundled water from 6 to 10 Leones. Acknowledging the application, Bah emphasized that no document could be sanctioned without accompanying substantiating data. Consequently, the application was returned to the applicants.
Bah further emphasized that EWRC's mandate includes safeguarding the interests of consumers, assuring that any proposed price adjustments would be subjected to rigorous scientific analysis. While EWRC did not outright reject the possibility of a sachet water price hike in the future, it stressed that such an increase must remain affordable for the local population.
In the interim, the Commission sternly cautioned sachet water companies against selling their products above the mandated price, warning that non-compliance could lead to punitive measures.