By Our Reporter
Residents of Abuja communities are currently going through severe hardship occasioned by economic policies of the federal government.
But more bitting to these residents is acute water shortage being experienced in some parts of suburbs of the federal capital territory.
In some communities like Nyanya, Karu village , Jikwoyi, Kpegi, Kurudu, Azata, Gidan Mangoro, Orozo down to Karshi, residents of these communities are currently running around scorting for water on daily basis to attend to their domestic needs.
Our Reporter who went round the affected communities reports that residents complained that since Abuja Electricity Distribution Company hardly brings light to the affected communities, water, especially drinking water, has become more scarce.
According to Sulaman Maina, a butcher and a resident of Jikwoyi, ” water is like a gold in this community now. Every morning you see children waking up as early as 5 am to look for water in the few houses that have boreholes. Even when they see, it comes with a exorbitant price. ”
He attributed the high cost of water in the area to epileptic power supply that gets to the community from AEDC, who has not been forthcoming on why they have been giving them inadequate power supply, to power various boreholes that scattered in the community.
” You know there is no public water in this community. So we rely on boreholes for the supply of our water needs. And without light, you cannot power your borehole , unless you have enough money to buy fuel or gas at its present cost.”
The story is same in all the mentioned communities visited by our Reporter .
At Orozo, Mrs Rebecca Okoye complained that living condition has become more hellish to some of them in the community. She mentioned the various challenges residents of the community are facing to include water shortage, inadequate power supply, over-bearing heat because the weather condition in the community, lack of food , poor environment, bad roads , challenge occasioned by miscreants and other vices .
She called on the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, to come to their aid, especially on all the challenges they are currently facing in the community.
Chief Abiola Adiola, a resident of Karishi said that water scarcity is becoming worrisome to the residents of the community. According to him, lack of electricity supply causes the number of boreholes in the community to stop functioning , as the owners had no money to buy gas or fuel to power them because of the high cost.
He suggested that FCT administration should extend pipe borne water to communities in the territory, to prevent water born diseases.
