Abuja Residents Groan Under Disruption Of Public Water Supply

Some residents of Karu and Nyanya in Abuja have appealed to the FCT water board to restore normal water supply to the area.

The residents made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Abuja.

They said that the area had no water supply in the last two weeks, adding that they relied on bore hole for their water needs.

Mrs Jessica Omoni, a resident of New Karu, Abuja, told NAN that the disruption in public water supply occurred about two weeks ago and had remained unresolved.

She said that the water board was yet to explain the cause of the disruption to the residents.

“We have not had water in the last two weeks and we don’t know what is responsible, and the water board around here has not said anything about the problem.

“The situation has made life difficult and we have to patronise water vendors, a situation that increase our expenses unnecessarily”, said Omoni.

Malam Ibrahim Rufai, another resident of New Karu, also complained that the water shortage was making life difficult for them.

“We have not had water here in the last two weeks and it makes life difficult.

“You know, water is essential to our existence, particularly during this Ramadan period.

“I can only plead with the water board to normalise the situation quickly so that we can return to our normal life”, he said.

Another resident of Nyanya, Mr Daniel James, said that his area had never enjoyed public water supply.

“Some people are complaining about disruption in supply, but here in Nyanya we have always depended on boreholes for our water needs.

“We have prevailed on the water board on several occasions to extend water supply to our area but they have not done that. We will still use this medium to appeal to them”, he said.

Reacting to the development, Mr Ibrahim Nahuche, Head of Distribution, FCT Water Board, explained that the problem with water supply to Karu axis emanated from a technical hitch at the Apo water line.

He assured that the board was working to ensure that the problem was rectified, adding that the situation would be normalised in the next one week.

Nahuche said, “The headquarters line which services the Gudu-Gudu axis developed technical fault two weeks ago.

“The line supplies water to places like Apo, Gudu, Games Village and other parts of the city centre.

“The fault has created disruption in service delivery and we have to wade in to avoid a chaotic situation within the city centre.

“That is why we resorted to rationing water supply to all these affected areas, but we are working assiduously to ensure that the problem is resolved in the next one week”.

He said that parts of Asokoro and Maitama were also affected by the shortage of water and assured that the board was working round the clock to rectify the problem.

He also said that the board was working to expand its services to communities that have not been covered, citing funding as a major cause of the delay.