Water is an issue in Nigeria. The public water supply is unsafe to drink. Homes that have running water don’t drink what comes from the tap. Public water fountains do not exist except for very rich neighborhoods. So the people drink water in bags. They call it sachet water, or pure water.
'Blessed' brand pure water.
Sachet water is convenient, easy to store and most of all, extremely cheap. On the streets, one bag goes for 5 Naira, that’s about 2 cents. Each bag yields 0.5 liters (500 ml) of water. The bag is easier to dispose of than plastic bottles. YOu can buy a big bag of 24 sachets for 50 Naira. Although sachet water is supposed to be a solution to contaminated public water, some of the sachet water is still poor quality. (Our directors tell us we can only drink Blessed and Ladewa brand pure water.
Step 1) Rip off a small corner of the bag with your teeth.
Step 2) Drink.
I brush my teeth and shower with the tap water and have had no problems at all. The novelty of drinking water out of a little plastic bag hasn’t worn off yet, even it if does taste a bit like plastic.
North of Lagos 