Residents of Nasarawa State’s Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area are forced to rely on ponds, stagnant pools, and other dangerous sources of water for their daily needs due to the severe water shortage.
People have been observed collecting muddy water from open, shallow ponds that are frequently tainted with trash and animal excrement in a number of places.
There are now no other options for drinking, cooking, bathing, or washing except these stagnant sources, which poses major health risks to the general people.
In Angwan Kuje, a local resident, Adefu Ruth, expressed her frustration: “We’ve not had tap water here for over two months. We now depend on this dirty water because we have no choice.”
Also speaking to correspondent, Luka Akiwa said, “And we have a Senator, Commissioner for Water resources whose residence is just about 400 meters from the site where these people fetch this water from holes.
“We also have a House of Assembly member, Councilor who came to campaign to us in our houses but can’t do anything about this.”
Another resident, Jane Albert, also echoed her concerns. “This water smells and changes color every day, but what can we do? Not everyone can afford pure water (Sachet Water) or has the means to travel far distances just to fetch clean water.”
At one point, our correspondent noticed that locals were having difficulty getting water from a tanker that was allegedly donated by an indigenous person in the neighborhood who want to lessen their hardships.
According to local officials, a number of failed boreholes, dried wells, and a general collapse in the public water infrastructure are to blame for the catastrophe.
Muluku Aggah, Nasarawa State’s Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development and a native of Nasarawa Eggon, has not yet officially addressed the situation in spite of the mounting concerns.
Every attempt to get his response at the time this report was filed was unsuccessful.
The security guard at the gate claimed that the Commissioner was not seated when this reporter visited the Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development on Wednesday.
Although he was unable to provide a specific timeframe for when the water supply would be restored to the impacted communities, a ministry employee who wished to remain anonymous stated that the ministry was aware of the situation and that efforts were underway to fix some of the problematic boreholes.
