Abaji Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory is grappling with water scarcity as power outages worsen the situation.
According to Daily Trust, a survey in Abaji town conducted on Sunday morning saw several areas severely affected, including Anguwar Sabon-Tasha, Anguwar-Manko, Naharati, Anguwar Wadata, Abaji-Lowcost, Kekeshi, Anguwar-Abattoir, and Anguwar-Liman.
Residents of these areas, primarily women, were forced to wait in long queues to access water from a limited number of private boreholes in the vicinity.
Zainab Aliyu, a housewife, shared her plight, saying, “I’ve been purchasing water from private boreholes for over two weeks now. Even though my husband dug a borehole, we lack the electricity needed to pump the water. The cost of a liter of fuel is N650 in the area, making it hard to afford fuel for the generator.”
Ibrahim Lawal, another resident, revealed that he has had to purchase water from vendors and water tankers in the region, incurring expenses of around N4,000 every week.
“At times, my children even arrive late at school because I have to search for water vendors. This has been our problem for over two weeks now,” he said.
The sporadic power supply in the city has hindered households with boreholes from pumping water, according to him.
Mohammed Suleiman, who owns a borehole in his home but is unable to pump water due to the lack of electricity, shared his experiences of spending between N400 and N600 on purchasing water from vendors each day.
The water shortage and inconsistent power supply have forced many residents to purchase water from vendors and water tankers for over three weeks.
There has been no immediate response from the council authorities regarding the recurring water crisis, which has become an annual issue.
