“Abuja Community Faces Water Crisis as Residents and Animals Share Polluted Water Source”
The inhabitants of Shapi community, situated within the Gumbu ward of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, have voiced their grievances regarding the absence of clean water in their locale.
In a recently circulated visual presentation, a female member of the community was observed procuring contaminated water and transferring it into her receptacle. She emphasized that resorting to such water sources was their sole means of sustenance amidst the prevailing circumstances.
Additionally, she underscored the exacerbating situation caused by the recent surge in the price of purified water, commonly known as ‘pure water’. The escalating cost, with a sachet now selling for N50, has imposed further hardship on their already challenging circumstances.
“This contaminated water serves as our primary source for bathing and cooking. With the soaring prices of purified water, we are compelled to make do with this alternative,” lamented one of the narrators in the visual presentation.
The visual presentation, accompanied by a call to action, illuminated the pressing issue faced by the Shapi community, where both human residents and animals depend on the same polluted water source. Despite being an essential necessity, clean water remains a scarce commodity, highlighting the urgent need for government intervention to safeguard the fundamental right to clean water for all inhabitants.
Furthermore, a 2020 report jointly issued by the United Nations Children’s Fund and the Federal Ministry of Water Resources revealed alarming statistics concerning water and sanitation conditions in Nigeria. It disclosed that a significant proportion of the populace, approximately one-third, consumed contaminated water, while a staggering 46 million individuals engaged in open defecation. The report, titled “Water, Sanitation, Hygiene National Outcome Routine Mapping 2019,” further highlighted the absence of handwashing facilities in at least 167 million households across the country.
