Residents seek solution as water crisis lingers in FCT communities

Residents of Gwagwa, Jiwa, and Idu communities in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) are lamenting the severe struggle to access clean water for their daily needs. The residents are calling on the FCT Administration to find immediate solution in order to avert water-related diseases as they now drink from any available source. Abuja Metro […]

Residents of Gwagwa, Jiwa, and Idu communities in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) are lamenting the severe struggle to access clean water for their daily needs.

The residents are calling on the FCT Administration to find immediate solution in order to avert water-related diseases as they now drink from any available source.

Abuja Metro reports that the scarcity has persisted for several days, with some areas going without a supply for weeks. This has forced residents to rely on private boreholes, commercial water vendors, and even contaminated ponds or rivers.

In Gwagwa and Jiwa, residents resorted to trekking to dry stream beds in search for water for household use.

“We are suffering so much due to the lack of water for some days now here in Jiwa. The pipes have simply stopped flowing,” said Mrs. Rukayyat Saleh, a local resident.

She added that the crisis is taking a toll on education, as students frequently arrive late to school after spending their mornings searching for water.

Another resident of the Gwagwa community, Mrs. Grace Benjamin, noted that the pinch of the scarcity is being felt across the board, forcing her to trek long distances just to find a functional source.

“I have no other option; sometimes I even have to use sachet water to cook my food,” said Amina, a food vendor at the Gwagwa market.

She urged the water board authorities to urgently address the problem as it continues to cripple household activities.

The crisis is not limited to the outskirts. Residents of the upscale Maitama district and several foreign embassies are also facing significant challenges.

It was gathered that Maitama is among the worst hit, with many residents unable to access pipe-borne water.

“In fact, getting water for ablution here in Maitama is a serious challenge. One often has to buy a bag of sachet water or patronize vendors just to pray,” said a resident identified as Muazu Shehu.

An official of the FCT Water Board, who craved anonymity, attributed the scarcity to ongoing rehabilitation works at the Lower Usuma Dam treatment plants.

A source within the board also cited administrative hurdles.

He said, “Apart from the technical maintenance, another bottleneck is the bureaucratic delay in approving funds for the purchase of water treatment chemicals.”