…Women, children trek long distances for water.
by Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
An acute but severe water scarcity has reportedly hit Ungwan Boro community, a Kaduna suburb, with many streets facing the challenges in Chikun LGA of Kaduna State.
The situation has worsened, following protracted, epileptic power supply limiting ability to pump boreholes in the area, thereby putting residents in serious hardship.
On a daily basis, residents – mostly women and children – are on their toes searching for where to get a bucket of water, both for drinking and other domestic purposes.
Woman and their children are also facing the problem of the hardship, as families, including under-twelve, are not excluded in the face of looking for water around but dry well water environment.
Boreholes could hardly be available due to high cost of fuel to power generators to pump water for inhabitants, free-of-charge, or even for sell due to poverty in high places.
Worst of all, most residents in Ungwan Boro community have not been accessing public water supply for a long time, although, water spillages are sometimes sighted and found in corners of the roadside through burst pipes.
“Most of streets in this community have not single water running in their public pipe-borne water systems for a longtime. The epileptic power failure is another thing, as boreholes owners lack electricity to help residents as usual,” a popular resident, Engr. James Tawani, lamented.
The community and residents have waited in vain but rainfall is yet to reach them, even though the raining season has resumed in many parts of Nigeria.