Citizen left bottled water, drinking well water

Bottled water prices, which increased from 10-15 lira to 45-50 lira in a year, pushed citizens to seek tap water and well water.

Speaking to Sozcu.com.tr, the president of the Turkish Water Purifiers Association, Gökhan Hikkorkmaz, explained that sales of purification devices that turn tap water into drinking water have tripled in a year, and the number of selling companies in the sector has increased from 2,800-3,000 companies to more than 4,000 in one year. .

Saying that the citizens who live in the coastal areas have these devices installed in the well water, Hikkorkmaz said, “Especially the citizens who live in the coastal areas and resort to treatment devices began to prefer the well water. After the increase in bottled water prices, the trend towards well water has increased a lot,” she said.

4 thousand 600 TL of water bottle go to the water per year

According to Hikkorkmaz, the price of a purification device increased from 1,800 TL to 3,500 TL from last year to this year. However, considering that a family of four people consumes two bottles of water a week, the annual cost reaches 3,500 TL. This amount exceeds 4,500 TL when buying a well-known brand water bottle throughout the country.

If the citizen buys the cheapest bottle of water on the market, this amount is 2,600 TL. Last year, this calculation made with the cheapest bottled water ranged from 1040-1560 TL.

Noting that the main reason for the increased demand is that the citizen can buy a purification device and use it for 7-8 years, Hikkorkmaz said that large companies entered the market due to the increasing demand, while large companies that they are in the market but they are not active now they do more active marketing.

THE END OF THE ROPE LEAKS: UP TO AN EMPTY BOTTLE 80-90 TL

Speaking to Sozcu.com.tr, Istanbul Gazoz Chamber of Craftsmen of Water Sorbet Manufacturers and Sellers President Ahmet Turan Akkaya said that while the cheapest bottled water cost 10 TL last year, it increased at 25 TL this year, while the most expensive is 45 TL. -TL of 22 TL He gave the information that there were 50 TL.

Stating that the price of even an empty carboy increased from 8-9 lira to 80-90 lira in a year, Akkaya said: “What remains hasn’t increased in price! The end of the rope is gone,” he said.

Citizens who did not want to pay 30 TL for a carboy in April 2022, filled the carboys and 5 liter bottles they brought in fountains around the forested areas and used them as drinking water.

‘THE PRICE LIST OF DRINKING WATER SHOULD BE PUBLISHED’

Emphasizing that water can be expensive due to rising costs, as well as being sold without a price fee, Akkaya said that since drinking water is a staple food, a certain price fee must be determined, like bread, she called .

Akkaya pointed out that since there is no specific price tariff, the companies sell the water at the price they set themselves, and if there is a tariff, the prices can be lowered to a more reasonable level.

REQUEST THESE DOCUMENTS IF YOU PURCHASE A TREATMENT DEVICE

On the other hand, although the purification device seems cheaper, it also has aspects that threaten health.

One of them is that unregistered sellers are selling products that threaten human health without the necessary documents.

Gökhan Hickorkmaz advises against making purchases from sellers who do not have a Certificate of Adequacy of Service, a Certificate of Trademark Registration and a Certificate of Adequacy of After Sales Service:

“By 2023 there are more than 4,000 registered sellers, but unfortunately unregistered companies are also selling.

The company does not have a technical service certificate and service qualification certificate, but it comes to the house and installs it. Citizens cannot find an interlocutor in the face of any malfunction.

People who do not have a tax record should not make purchases from companies that cannot present a guarantee certificate, service adequacy certificate, trademark registration certificate and after-sales service adequacy certificate.

WHY IS WATER EXPENSIVE?

So why is water expensive?

The increase in the prices of raw materials in plastic directly affects daily life. While 80 percent of the cost of a classic half-liter plastic water bottle is plastic, 20 percent is water.

Ahmet Turan Akkaya, explaining that companies rent water from special municipal administrations and pay a price to the Treasury, listed the cost elements as follows:

“The water put in a tank reaches the filling facilities of the factory. Then there is the parkour machine. The raw material and pet coverage are imported. An empty canister costs 80-90 TL and can explode. Then there is shipping and portering. Each stage further increases the price of water.”