Residents of Karu and Nyanya in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have lamented the water crisis bedevilling the area and appealed to the FCT Water Board to address the situation.
Some of the residents appealed to FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, urging him to wade into the matter, with a view to addressing it promptly.
A Nyanya resident, Amaka Ibeh, said the development has led to her family spending more.
Ibeh, who is a civil servant, said she spent one-third of her salary on water every month. She said the family depended on pipe-borne water for drinking but has since switched to buying sachet water, which costs more.
Ibeh appealed to the FCT authority to find a lasting solution to the problem to increase her food purchasing power for her family.
She said: “I am a single mother of three children and I spend a lot of money buying borehole water, just for household chores and bathing. I still buy sachet water for drinking. This has increased my spending on water alone, not to talk of the food we eat.
“The economy is biting so hard and everything is increasing in price. The FCT authorities, beginning with the minister, should please come to our aid and address this.”
Another Nyanya resident, Emem Ediong, said restoring pipe-borne water in the area had become necessary to avoid water-related diseases in the area.
An environmentalist, Cheta Idu, frowned at the proliferation of boreholes in the area due to the development. He said the constant drilling of boreholes could be detrimental to the environment.
“Many residents are now digging boreholes here and there. Some of them do not even adhere to the guidelines or rules of borehole drilling. Some dig even close to soakaways. This water will be detrimental to health and the environment,” he said.
