The effect of epileptic power supply in Gashua, headquarter of Bade Local Government Area state has continued to take a toll on the masses, as residents in some parts of the town, and elsewhere around the area of Senate President Dr. Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan are faced with water scarcity.
Some of the residents who confirmed to leadership Sunday, have appealed to the state government, Senate President to provide hand pumped bore holes to enhance access to potable water in Gashua town and its environs in order to mitigate the situation.
Leadership Sunday reports that most of the residents now rely on water vendors as the taps have stopped running.
Also, most of the bore holes drilled in the area have broken down due to years of neglect and poor maintenance. But no repairing. No one is care about.
The areas worst hit by the scarcity include Unguwar Filin-Tanda, Tanda Karama, Sabon Gari, Isari, Lawan Fannami, Garin Lamido, Abuja Amare, Dadin Kowa and Katz ward.
“We are facing these challenges because for over two months without any solution to the problems, our people are suffering and most of the residents use pure water to cook and toilet flush, we are not getting water from our taps” said resident.
“With the recent oil subsidy removal, the vendors have increased,their prices from between N10 and N15 per a 20-litre gallon of water to N30 per gallon, definitely we are facing difficulties.
“Every day I spent between N400 and N500 on water for my household. The situation is so pathetic and difficult.”
Alhaji Umaru, another resident, urged the state government to rehabilitate the Water Treatment Plant and upgrade the reticulation system to enhance water supply in the area.
Leadership Sunday checks further showed that water hawkers were making brisk businesses due to the growing demand of their services.
A 20 litre can of water from the water vendors now goes for N30 as against its old price of N10.
A resident of Abuja Amare, Abdullah said, “there is acute water shortage at Abuja Amare and some parts of Low-cost, a cart of 12 jerry cans of water fetched from commercial boreholes now costs N300 to N400”.
Another resident, who wished to be anonymous, reported, “in my place, Isari cart of 12-jerry cans of water is sold at the cost of N350 to N400, the situation is bad”.
“There is water scarcity of water in Lawan Fannami area during this fasting period the price of a cart is between N300 and N350.
For residents, who could not afford the price, they have to walk a distance to source for the water for their domestic purposes.
In a normal situation, the whole cart of water is sold N100 to N150 depending on the location where the hawkers source for the water.
Bala Umar, a water vendor, said he was making about N 5, 000 a day as a result of the rise in patronage.
He added that, “as I’m talking to you now, as ‘lucrative i uses filters to purify the water before selling to prospective buyers.
The development has thrown thousands of households into a state of despair, they all called on government to do the needful by putting an end to the water crisis.
Those who spoke with Leadership Sunday appealed to the Senate President Dr Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan to come to their aid. ” we know you are doing good for your people, You have done a lot, we are still want you to help us for drilling many boreholes across the community” residents emphasized.
One of the APC chieftain commended Senate President for construction roads, school and empowerment many youths both men of woman in his constituency. He urge him to continue for assisting them.
The water scarcity, caused by poor electricity supply, is coming at a time when the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) claimed the restoration of supply on 121.9 MW from the national grid.
Our Correspondent gathered that most of the public boreholes in those areas were connected to the national grid to generate and pump water to the end users, but the recent inconsistency in the power supply is making it difficult to achieve that.
Leadership Sunday reports that there is no functional public tap water system in Potiskum, Gujba, Fika, Nangere, Damagum, Nguru, Gaidam, Jakusko, Tarmuwa and other parts of Damaturu, the state capital. making residents to rely on boreholes and water vendors.
Rural dwellers, who are the worst hit, rely on streams and creeks to meet their daily water needs. Water vendors in the state make brisk business as they move from house to house to supply water to those in dire need.
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