Severe water scarcity has hit Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, forcing residents to rely on stagnant pools, ponds and other unsafe sources for their daily water needs.
Residents across several communities have been seen scooping muddy water from shallow, open ponds often contaminated with animal waste and debris.
These stagnant sources have now become the only option for drinking, cooking, bathing and washing, raising serious public health concerns.
In Angwan Kuje, a local resident, Adefu Ruth, expressed her frustration: “We’ve not had tap water here for over two months. We now depend on this dirty water because we have no choice.”;
Also speaking to DAILY POST correspondent, Luka Akiwa said, “And we have a Senator, Commissioner for Water resources whose residence is just about 400 meters from the site where these people fetch this water from holes.
“We also have a House of Assembly member, Councilor who came to campaign to us in our houses but can't do anything about this.”;
Another resident, Jane Albert, also echoed her concerns. “This water smells and changes color every day, but what can we do? Not everyone can afford pure water (Sachet Water) or has the means to travel far distances just to fetch clean water.”;
At some point, our correspondent observed that residents were struggling to fetch water from a water tanker believed to have been donated by one of the indigenes within the community who wanted to help alleviate their sufferings.
Local leaders say the crisis is the result of several failed boreholes, dried wells and a general breakdown in public water infrastructure.
Despite the growing concerns, Muluku Aggah, the Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development in Nasarawa State, who is also an indigene of Nasarawa Eggon, has yet to address the situation publicly.
All efforts to get his reaction as at the time of filing this report proved abortive.
When this reporter visited the Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development on Wednesday, the security man at the gate said the Commissioner was not on seat.
However, a staff member of the ministry, who did not want his name mentioned, said the ministry was aware of the situation and that efforts were being made to repair some of the faulty boreholes, although he could not give a definite timeline for when water supply would be restored to the affected communities.
