Gbenga Adeboye (Abeokuta), Ankeli Emmanuel (Sokoto), Patrick Ochoga (Benin-City), Kola Eke-Ogiugo (Asaba), Solomon Ayado (Makurdi) and AGBO-Paul Augustine (Abuja) write on how Nigerians groan, thirst over shortage of nature’s gift.
The issue of inadequate supply of clean and portable water to the citizens of Nigeria, especially by the various governments in the states of the federation, has continued to be a worrisome development to the people in recent years.
In the post-independent era, between the 1960s, 70s, 80s and up to the middle of the 90s, Nigerians who resided in the major cities, towns and even some local communities, enjoyed what has relatively become a rare benefit now, regular supply of clean and portable water. The water taps flowed almost ceaselessly and residents had enough water from the public water supply to meet their basic home and sundry needs.
Today, the water taps, for essentially reasons of corruption, mismanagement of states resources and public facilities like those of the Water Boards or Corporations, have ceased to flow. The water corporations are almost moribund in most states of the country while the water dams have either dried up or are neglected. This development has consequently necessitated the lack of supply of portable water to members public who are tax payers, forcing them to rely more on privately-dug bore hole water.
LEADERSHIP Weekend went round the states of the federation to monitor and report the extreme difficulties and challenges experienced by the people in the course of looking for portable water to meet their domestic, business and sundry needs.
Ogun State:
In Ogun State, the agency responsible for water supply is the Ogun State Water Corporation. The water situation according to residents who spoke with LEADERSHIP Weekend has not been great. They told our correspondent that in recent past, especially between the months of September 2014 and April 2015, the water situation has been so bad that residents made do with water from any source for domestic use.
But many of them agreed that the situation has improved since the rainy season began recently and hope it will continue to get better. According to Mrs Tayo Balogun, who runs a cafeteria at Sapon, a business centre in Abeokuta, the state capital, she spends a lot of her profit on water purchase. She is convinced that part of the reason for the hardship was the ongoing construction works in the area which has disrupted water supply.
“Before, we had no problem of water. And the water is only used for washing because my customers eat their meal with satchet and bottled water. I think the construction going on is part of the problem. But it is good because if the governor does not do it now, who will?” She said.
Another respondent, Mrs Adijat Sogunle, maintained that she never depended on government water taps because she lives in a new community where there are no such government facility. She noted that her only challenge is that the water well dug by her husband usually dries up during the dry season because rocks dictated the depth of the well.
“When the water dries up, it becomes a serious problem. We usually trek about a kilometer to a stream to get water. But for drinking, we buy bags of sachet water.”
For Mr Mukaila Adigun who operates a car wash outfit in the state capital, says government is out of the equation when it gets to his business. But he submits that the water agency should improve supply to homes because he is affected by that.
“For my business, nature is my partner. As you can see this, place is located beside a small river. The rivers runs throughout the year irrespective of the season and the water is clean. So I`ve never had any issue with water supply. But where I live, water supply is not the best. We pay our bills and yet we don’t get water for weeks sometimes. Government should do something about that,” he said.
A director at the Ogun State Water Corporation, who would not want to be mentioned in this report for obvious reasons, said that what causes shortage of water most of the time, is lack of funds from the state government to buy chemicals and maintain the equipment.
According to him, “in the past when funds were regularly provided, there was no problem. In fact back then, we used to have chemicals that would last for months or even a year. It’s different now. The situation will only improve when funds are provided for long planning. Our water source is there 24/7, but the problem is treatment for it to be pumped to residents.”
Sokoto State:
The situation is not different in Sokoto state. Residents, no doubt, are among the citizens of a few states in Nigeria that enjoy the luxury of regular water supply. This is more so with the provision of necessary resources and logistics to the sokoto state ministry of water resources by the state government.
So far, this official support has manifested in the following areas: the provision of 20 million gallons of water per day through the Asare Water Works; 100, 000 gallons over head tank in the Old Airport; 3 Million gallons per day in Tamaje; 3 million gallons of water per day in Gagi among other places.
Special Adviser on Press Affairs to governor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto state, Abubakar Dangusua, who spoke to LEADERSHIP Weekend on the effort of the state government in that regard, said, the governor’s effort in ensuring portable water supply to the people of the state is second to none.
According to him, “The state government has so far spent about N5.6bn on six water projects across the state. The water projects will provide 40 Million gallons par day when completed. And it has so far reached 80 percent completion and will be completed within 2 weeks from now”.
Ostensibly, the general belief is that the ” Seat of the Caliphate ” will experience little or no problem of water for consumption despite the nature of the place. But the fact remains that at least a good number of the well over 4 million people of the state often experience difficulties in getting water for domestic and other purposes.
When LEADERSHIP Weekend went round the Sokoto metropolis to ascertain the level of difficulties experienced by the residents, many of them said the water supply level in the city has indeed improved. A well known launderer, Mallam Kamba, who resides at Emir Yahaha road in Sokoto South Local Government and who has been in the laundry business for over twenty years, confirmed the improvement in water supply to the state.
Kamba said: “You see, we do have water at least every day for now, and we thank governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko for making it possible. He seems to have prioritized the water project. However, our greatest problem now is the state’s water board, which claims that their inability to supply water most times to the city was due to lack of adequate power supply from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) “.
Also, Hajiya Rabi, a food seller around the popular sokoto central market, said they often get water but mostly during the morning hours. She added that they often make up the water supply shortfall by depending on the ubiquitous water vendors for the rest of the day.
Outside the Sokoto metropolis however, LEADERSHIP Weekend found out that some of the local governments are yet to be connected to the 40 million gallon per day water works. They rely mostly on the bore-holes provided for them. For instance, in Gwadabawa local government, residents who spoke to LEADERSHIP Weekend, said they have taken consolation in the water supply they get from their boreholes to meet their domestic and sundry needs.
Edo State:
The challenges of water supply and consumption in Benin City, the Edo state capital is currently being experienced in most major cities across the country. The total collapse of public water supply agencies in the state has compounded the situation.
Dams meant to serve the metropolis, with booster stations in Okhoro, Iyaro, Aduwawa, Esigie, Ugbowo and other areas are presently in pathetic state.
Findings by LEADERSHIP Weekend early in the week, revealed that the dams have not functioned for almost a year now. However, most of the booster stations have boreholes which they resort to using in pumping water for members of the public. In order to meet the basic supply and domestic needs for water, the public virtually depend on boreholes and water vendors.
The dams have two 1, 750 KVA generators, but each gulp a drum of diesel in one hour, so the only option, is to depend solely on public power supply to pump water to the citizens of the state.
When LEADERSHIP Weekend visited the Head Office of the State Urban Water Board on Sapele Road, the General Manager, Mr Frank Obasogie, was said to have travelled to Abuja. But a Senior staff of the Water Board told our Correspondent that “funding has been our major challenge and our machines are obsolete”.
The manager of a popular car wash situated along Ihama road at the Government Reservation Area (GRA) adjacent to the Edo state legislative quarters in Benin-City, Imadi Osagie, disclosed to LEADERHIP Weekend that the availability of water has been a major constraint hampering the smooth running of car wash business.
He hinted that he had to provide a borehole for himself in order to meet his water needs, a situation he lamented. He also provided a generating plant to power the borehole.
According to Osagie: “there is no way you can remain in this business without having your own borehole coupled with a generating plant to pump water. In a situation where there is scarcity of diesel, we depend on local water vendor and we pay as much as N120 per 50 litre of water”. he added.
The situation is not different for Mrs Abigail Ighodalo, a mother of three who lives in the densely populated suburb of Upper Sakponba in Benin City. She said the only public water supply available to serve the entire people within her neighbourhood was provided by a politician, but she said this often breaks down due to pressure from the public.
She lamented that individual owners of boreholes, make brisk business by selling water to the people, which, according to her, is the only stable source of water for most families.
The Edo State Urban Water Board whose responsibility of providing potable water to the Urban and Semi-Urban areas of the State, is however hampered by lack of adequate manpower, ageing equipment and poor maintenance. The Board has about sixty-three (63) pumping stations (including dams) spread across the State.
Efforts to reach the state commissioner for energy and wate resources, Chris Ebare, was not successful as repeated calls to his mobile line did not go through.
But checks by LEADERSHIP Weekend, showed that the ministry, a few months ago, called for tenders for the rehabilitation of the Ikpoba River Dam and reticulation of Ewohimi and environs in Edo Central Senatorial District.
The state government shortly after it came to power, acquired industrial borehole drilling machines which it has successfully used to provide water for parts of Edo Central and Edo North where it was initially said water could be easily gotten. There have been water in Ekpoma, Uromi, Ewohimi, Iruekpen and several other places provided by the state government.
Delta State:
In Delta State, portable water supply for domestic and sundry consumption has been major impediments to residents, especially in Agbor, Asaba, Ogwashi-Uku and Ibusa communities, where there have not been evidence of government’s provision of pipe borne water supply.
In Asaba for instance, the situation is very sorrowful as the only means of water supply is bore-holes sank by various property owners for the use of their tenants.
Apart from the River-Niger, which serves as a source of water for residents of Oko communities by the riverbank, the difficulties of getting clean water supply had occasioned disasters.
Since the creation of Delta State in 1992 by the General Ibrahim Babangida administration, the issue of provision of portable water supply by the state’s water boards has become a pipe dream as many of water pipes laid down for that purpose for many years have been rotting away in disuse after staggering budgets have been allocated for it by the relevant ministry.
As a result of this unsavory development, many Delta state residents have continued to groan till this day, over the inability of the successive governments in the state to ensure that adequate clean and portable water is provided.
Roseline Agboh, a resident of Ogwahi-Uku, one of the popular community in the Delta North, narrated the ordeal the citizens undergo in getting portable water supply in the various parts of the state. She said “ we don’t even know if government provided any tap water for its citizenry. We suffer a lot here in Ogwashi-Uku. No water. No electricity and the only river water is not too clean for drinking. Bore holes are not even working”.
Food vendors, especially owners of prominent restaurants in Asaba go through agonizing ordeals over the worrisome issue of water supply in the state capital. One of them who asked not to be mentioned, said: “Do we have anything like portable water from the water board here? It is very funny to even talk about such necessity. Nothing of such works here in Asaba, instead we sank bole holes to operate our businesses. We pay heavily to dig bole holes here in Asaba”
Ifeanyi Bodalu, a launderer in Asaba also said: “I have no borehole. I buy water every day to do my business. There is no water supply by water board in this state, ihence we charge our customers heavily so that we can survive in business”
However, investigations revealed that car wash managers who have no bore holes, buy big tanks to store water for their business. This has consequently increased the cost of car wash to between N750 and N1,000, depending on the type of car.
House wives are not left out in this water trouble. One of them popularly known as lady B in Asaba, said: “The task of getting water to cook for my customers has been inexplicable. I buy water from bore holes to cook, wash clothes, and do all other domestic chores. Government did not provide us with water supply “.
But the Delta State Commissioner for water Resources, Dr. Chris Oghenechevwe, did not agree with the respondents, arguing that they were not fair to the ” hardworking government led by Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan “.
According to him, “ Our government spend close to N1 billion every year to make our water pipes work. We have refurbished all the broken pipes and brought in new one. Right now, there is water everywhere across the State “.
Benue State:
Water supply still remains a major challenge in Makurdi, the Benue State capital and other major agrarian towns in the state, even with the presence of the River Benue and several inland rivers.
Madam Grace Nimba, a fifty year old grandmother bears the brunt of shuttling almost a kilometer, countless times, to fill the 200 litre barrel of water tank in her backyard to cook, do chores and keep the lavatory clean in her North Bank settlement in Makurdi.
The frequent movement, to and from her source of clean water daily, is already having a toll on Nimba’s failing health. Her backache has intensified as she bears the pains of carrying 20 litre container in a city where water has become as scarce as gold.
She said “My back is hurting because of having to carry water over a long distance everyday. It appears we are yet to see an end to this problem. I am just tired ”, she cried as she narrated her daily agony to LEADERSHIP Weekend.
While Nimba had to endure the pains of water scarcity in her North Bank area, speedy water tankers, rusty and leaking, profusely make their ways to the water storage containers of eagerly waiting clients in New GRA, Kanshio, Terwase-Agbobu, Gada Villa, Achusa Media Village, Mobile Barracks Naka Road, High level and several parts of Makurdi.
The water shortage has not only hit the less income people but the wealthy too, especially those in the highbrow areas like the Judges Quarters in Makurdi.
The ugly part is that the streets of Makurdi is replete with bows, kegs and water vendors, all in search of this scarce commodity that has turned the lives of the people into a nightmare.
Contrary to the natural advantage of having one of Nigeria’s visible landmark, the River Benue, passing through the heart of Makurdi, the people of Benue state have had to grapple with perennial water scarcity, a situation that has become so notorious and embarrassing to the residents of the city.
While the shortage bites harder on the residents, water vendors who source water from private boreholes are smiling to the banks, as water tankers as well as individuals throng the various locations to buy water. A 20 litre of water now sells for between N25 and N30, a rate many residents have complained as way beyond their reach.
An elderly woman, Esther Abi, who has lived with her family in the New GRA area of Makurdi town for over thirty years, said she does not have portable pipe borne water in her residence and cannot afford to buy at high rate resorts to trekking long distance to fetch water. Abi said water pipes do not run in the area and that the place is rocky and impossible to dig a water well in except a borehole.
Abi’s family who hail from Oju local government area of the state, stated that the lack of water situation in her community is very alarming, and that the condition has not made any difference with the so much articulated basic amenities which prompt the people to migrate to the urban centres.
However, Benue state government has executed greater water works projects in the three major towns of the state, but it is yet to actualize the mandatory obligation of supplying adequate water to the people. This situation has put the people in more vulnerable parts of the state at risk of contracting water borne diseases.
A resident of the New GRA in Makurdi who simply gave his name as Oche, said due to the long distance from their homes to the location of the borehole, the mobile water vendors popularly called mairuwa, are most times, unable to supply water for those who are ready to buy.
Additionally, the price of water supply, whether from private or government owned tankers, is very high and the situation has caused untold hardship on the citizens of Benue state. The state government is said to be faced with the major challenge of reticulation, a project which its financial resources are not sufficient to execute.
In 2008, Governor Gabriel Suswam, awarded contracts for the construction of Greater Makurdi Water Works, Otobi Water Works in Otukpo and Katsina-Ala Water Works at the cost of N4.99 billion, N2.6 billion and N1.5 billion respectively.
The water project in Makurdi was given out to Gilmor Nigeria Limited, while those of Otobi and Katsina-Ala were given to CGC Nigeria Limited. The three water projects were to be completed within the period of 18 to 24 months.
The Makurdi water works has the capacity to supply 100,000 cubic metres of water per day while Otobi and Katsina-Ala have capacity for 15,000 cubic metres each.
In February 2012, President Goodluck Jonathan, during a visit to the state, commissioned the Greater Makurdi Water Works projects. But the project has not yielded the expected result of providing water to the people since it was commissioned. The state government said it needed N5billion to fund the reticulation process.
However, it can best be adduced that the huge investments which the government has made in the water sector would be a total sham if the reticulation project is not executed especially now that the present administration is left with just less than three weeks to go.
The water crisis situation in Benue state is pathetic because Makurdi, the state capital, is situated at the river bank and the River Benue run through the major towns of the state. It is common and very pitiable to see children and women undergoing great difficulties searching for water. Some women are easily seen with babies strapped to their backs and trekking long distances to look for or to buy water.
The banks of River Benue have been turned to a huge beach, not for recreation but by water starved residents who throng the rive banks, on daily basis, to do their chores, bath and also fetch water. Many experts have warned that their activities are a threat to human and aquatic life due to toxins from soaps discharged into the river.
The situation is worse in the villages where a huge majority of the populace largely depend on shallow streams and muddy wells to survive. In Otukpo, water shortage has become an integral part of the people’s life. In 2013, many hospitals in Otukpo compelled patients going for operations to come with 20 litres of water before undergoing surgical operation.
Retrospectively, in September 2014, the Benue State government approved the sum of N4.5 billion for the reticulation of the Greater Makurdi Water Works. The state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Justine Amase, had briefed journalists on the outcome of the state executive council meeting. He further assured that the project would be completed by the Governor Gabriel Suswam’s administration before it leaves office on May 29 this month.
Amase said the contract has been awarded to CGC Nigeria Limited and that it is expected to be carried out in phases, beginning with the North Bank area. He insisted that Governor Suswam would not leave any stone unturned in ensuring that the contract is executed in line with laid down specifications.
But several months after the state government approved the funds to carry out the reticulation beginning with the major areas in Makurdi, the pipes are still dry, and there is no hope in sight regarding whether the project would be realistically completed before the handover date of May 29.
The Benue state Commissioner for Water Resources, Mrs. Esther Dzungwe, was not available to comment on the project as at the time of filing this report, but a Director in the ministry who pleaded anonymity, said “they said the reticulation project is awarded but we do not know how much and if work has started or whether it will be completed in due time.”
Meanwhile, there is high increase in the price of water supply. A water vendor who was met at an elite area in Makurdi, who simply gave his name as Abdul, told LEADERSHIP Weekend, that to fill a big water tanker from the state water board, cost about N2, 500.
“We buy water here at N2, 500 and we later sell to residents around the elite districts of New GRA and modern market areas among others. We do sell to customers a full water tank, with transportation charges at N6000 and N7000. But the price varies depending on the distance where the supply is made and the number of tanks a customer is able to buy,” Abdul stated.
When contacted, the general manager of Benue State Water and Sanitation Agency, Engr. Michael Zungu, said the acute lack of water supply is propelled by the rusty pipes and the non-reticulation which makes it more difficult to pump water to distant areas.
“The water tankers are not owned by the state water board but we collect a fee of N2,500 to supply water to them. Because the pipes are rusty and the present reticulation was done in 1976, it is not possible to supply water to distant metropolis in the town. Government has awarded the reticulation contract but I seriously believe only the next administration can complete the process.” Zungu stated.