- Enugu residents in anguish as water crisis hits metropolis
- 25 litres of water sells for N70, N80 as 750 litres of tank goes for N15,000, N18,000 as tanker drivers attribute high price to state government taxes, levies
- Mbah assures residents of better days, awards multimillion naira water project
Anguish, disappointment and anxiety could best describe the mood of Enugu residents as water crisis has continued to persist even in the face of huge investment by the state government to avert the ugly situation.
WITHIN NIGERIA findings showed that this crisis is gradually taking a devastating toll on the residents even as Christmas festivities.
Investigations by our reporter revealed that the state government’s efforts to provide potable drinking water are yet to yield the desired results, leading to many water sellers cashing in on the scarcity to exploit the teeming residents of the metropolis.
In any case, it was also gathered that many of the water galleries built in parts of the city by the government have remained dry as a result of faulty equipment or lack of energy to power them.
WITHIN NIGERIA further checks showed that the worst hit areas are Abakpa Nike, Awkunanaw and New Haven.
It was also gathered that by 16th December, 2024, a truck of a 500-gallon tank of water which used to be sold for between N10,000 and N12,000 now goes for as high as between N15,000 to N17,000 depending on the distance, even as the situation has continued to worsen.
It further revealed that a water of 750- gallon tank of water sells for between N16,000 and N18,000.
As the scarcity persists in some parts of the city, a 25-litre gallon of drinking water sells for N300 while well water used for cooking is sold for between N50 and N70.
A water tanker driver, Mr. Joseph Oduma said the ugly development could be as a result of combination of factors including the high cost of transport and increased revenues by the state government which they don’t alternative to.
According to Mr. Oduma, the state government has increased the levy and tax payable by the water tanker drivers and this is having a negative effect on the water consumers in the state.
By and large, a resident of Abakpa Nike, Miss Georgina Aleke who our reporter gathered parked in last two weeks in the metropolis, said she was surprised that water scarcity persisted in Enugu city, despite all the efforts by the state government.
In her words, “I schooled in Enugu, IMT to be precise. I know for sure that some time last year when this administration came on board, they promised that water scarcity in Enugu city would be a thing of the past, but look at the current situation now.
“Gov. Mbah promised to provide water to Enugu residents within 180 days of commencement of its administration yet we are faced with scarcity,” he said.
Another resident from Akwuke area of Awkunanaw, Linus Nnaji, said that the water situation in the area was the same as it had always been.
“We have been buying water as usual, for example, a 25 litre of drinking water is N300 while well water is either N50 or N60, while some sell N70.
“As the dry season is setting in, many wells are already drying up and as usual we are resorting to buying from water tankers,” Nnaji said.
Nnaji appealed to the state government to do something to end the perennial water scarcity facing the people.
It is also a similar situation in Independence Layout, Transekulu, Emene and Achara Layout as many residents have resorted to commercial water tankers to get water.
Josephine Eze, who lives in Independence Layout, said she spent N42,000 on a full tanker of 2,000 gallons every two weeks saying that it had not been easy for her and her household.
“I spend N84,000 every month on water alone as against N60,000 I spend during the dry season because I use my well during the rainy season.
“It is difficult to dig a borehole in Enugu because of the topography as the soil is covered with coal which is not healthy. So, I am appealing to the state government to intensify efforts in providing water for the people of the state,” he said.
Nevertheless, Governor Peter Mbah has assured the people that his administration was doing all it could to bring water to the doorsteps of the residents.
Mbah reiterated this assurance on the provision of water during his quarterly town hall meeting with Enugu State residents held over the weekend.
Enugu government reacts to the crisis
However, reacting to the water scarcity in the metropolis, Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has assured the residents that the state government is already making plans to provide clean and adequate water to the residents.
According to Gov. Mbah, the recent signing of a $100 million investment agreement between the state government and a consortium of Austrian investors is to cover the last mile and ensure that water gets to every remaining home in the state capital and environs.
Governor Mbah gave the assurances at the weekend during a town hall meeting with the people of the state in Enugu, noting also that his administration had raised water production from occasional 2 million litres to 120 million litres a day in 180 days.
The governor said that the $100 million Foreign Direct Investment in the downstream water sector would boost and hasten the government’s effort at tackling the challenges of reticulation as well as relentlessly replacing old and asbestos pipes with ductile pipes.
“The only time you would have to appreciate the magnitude of challenges associated with those tertiary pipes is after you have allowed water to flow through them, and some of them after decades. That was when we started noticing burst pipes. We also started noticing that some of the pipes were still asbestos pipes and we needed to replace them.
“So, in terms of production, we have been able to achieve 150 per cent of our daily production needs. What we are now dealing with is the last mile; making sure that we get water to the last mile.
“Doing that, especially given the magnitude of what we have observed, is also cost intensive. But we are now fortunate that we have investors – and this is not loans or grants – but investors, who have undertaken to play in the downstream of our water management system.
“So, these investors are going to invest a hundred million dollars to ensure that they replace all the pipes leading to the last mile. So, 1.5 million households have been targeted for a start. That work will start in January in earnest. And they would also ensure it is sustained because they will ensure that it is metered. They will metre these homes as they do the tertiary pipelines,” he stated.
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