· Broken pipe responsible – Board
By Sarah NEGEDU
After nearly 3 months of no pipe borne water supply, some residents of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, are accusing the public water supplier, FCT Water Board, of killing them instamentally.
The allegation is coming on the heels of restoration of water supply to Bwari area council after over three months of non-supply of pipe borne water.
Some residents said the water from their taps is contaminated and unfit for consumption.
The customers, who are mostly based in Bwari central, alleged that the water supplied to the area has been murky and smelly since the board resumed distribution to the area about three weeks ago
One of the affected persons, Mrs Edna Kure, expressed disappointment that the government is comfortable enough to distribute dirty water to its citizens.
“This issue has been on for weeks now. Initially, we thought the dirty water was as a result of a broken pipe in this area but we have done our investigations and conclude that that is not the issue, because the water board still supplies us portable water intermittently. It’s unfortunate that this is the situation we find ourselves in. I don’t understand how water supplied by the government is this dirty and unsafe for consumption.”
Another resident of Bwari, Mr. Daniel Soetan, who expressed worry over the state of the water supplied, said it is rather unfortunate that the water supplied after 3 months interruption is unsafe for human use.
In his words, “After 3 months of water outage the FCT Water Board supplied water to Bwari, which should ordinarily be a relief but we were shocked that the water from the FCT Water Board is brownish and smelly. How can the water supplied by government to its citizens be so unsafe and dangerous for consumption?
“Most of us had to drill boreholes because of inconsistencies in power supply, inconsistencies in power supply and inconsistencies in everything almost everything government provides for because it can be available today and no longer available the next. This is after three months that we have been depending on our borehole, and now this water comes and this is what the FCTA wants residents to cook and drink from. The water is not even the one you use chlorine to purify, these remains brownish and smells. That is the water the government of Nigeria is pumping to its citizens especially here in Bwari.”
Though the FCT Water Board would not confirm the development, the spokesperson of the board, Stella Mogbo, suspected that the contamination may be a linked to a broken pipe along the distribution chain.
Mogbo, who promised to get back to our correspondent, but did not, after getting full details from the distribution unit of the board, however, assured that the board will get to the bottom of the matter and rectify the issue immediately.
The FCT Water Board has experienced series of shut down maintenance in recent times with water supply to parts of the territory suspended for rehabilitation works.
Water supply to Airport, Gwagwalada, Maitama, Asokoro, Garki 1, Garki 2, Karu, Nyanya, Kubwa 1, Kubwa 2, Wuse 1 and Wuse 2, and the Central Area was interrupted in October last year.
The FCTA had shut down phases 1, 3 and 4 treatment plants for five days to enable the connection of a bypass trunk line to Kubwa main line for the rehabilitation of the treated water tank’s roof slab.
Rehabilitation works at the Lower Usuma Dam in December, also led to a partial diversion of portable water from one area to another.
For instance, while area like Kubwa had constant supply, water was diverted from places like Gwarinpa and some parts of Wuye district to allow the for comprehensive repair work at the dam.
Allegations of a possible contamination at the dam also prompted the management of the board to assure residents that the Usuma Dam was safe for potable water supply.
A statement by the Public Relations Officer, Stella Mogbo, reads that, “The FCT Water Board allays every form of fear/rumours emanating from any quarter regarding threat of contamination from its water source as proactive measures are always taken from time to time to forestall any eventuality.
“The FCT Water Board was commissioned to ensure sufficient supply and equitable distribution of potable water to citizens of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and this duty has always been carried out efficiently and effectively.”
