Residents of Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State and its environs are groaning over the acute shortage of drinking water that has hit the capital city recently.
Most residents are currently entertaining fears of an outbreak of waterborne disease as they source their drinking water from River Niger.
“We treat raw water from River Niger with alum to drink to save us from sudden scarcity of water in our areas,” said Baruwa Abubakar, a resident of the Karaworo area of Lokoja.
Daily Trust learnt the water scarcity that enveloped the city bothered on the inability of the water board to supply adequate water to the residents of Lokoja recently.
The Kogi State Water Board and the management of the main water supply outlet in Lokoja, popularly known as “Ibro water” refused to talk to Daily Trust when contacted, saying they lack the power to speak over the issue.
Daily Trust learnt further that as the scarcity of water bites harder, residents who have been forced to buy drinking water from water vendors, popularly known as ‘mai ruwa’, at N400 per tin are now buying the same measure for the sum of N1,200.
According to a survey by Daily Trust, among others, areas hit by severe water scarcity in Lokoja include Angwan Kura, Karaworo, Madabo and phase 1 and 11 Lokogoma estates.
A resident of Angwan Kura, Fatimah Usman, lamented that they had been sourcing their water needs from the local water vendors for the past four years since the city water supply stopped in their area.
She added that the price hike by the vendors had worsened their condition recently.
DailyTrust
