Indeed, life without safe, sufficient and potable water is lifeless as it is the preeminent basic amenity and vital ingredient for human being’s health. Considering the pivotal role played by water for the humankind’s lives, the UN adopted March 22 of each year to be celebrated as World Water Day.
The aim of this crucial day is to focus attention on the importance of potable water for human beings and the risk of its scarcity.
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As Nigeria joined the rest of the world to commemorate the 2021 WWD, millions of residents of Bauchi metropolis have been experiencing untold hardship due to lingering scarcity of potable and sufficient water. As the hot season is about to set in, the rising demand for water in the city is now heightening and urgent action should be taken.
Now that the residents of Kobi, Wunti and Lokos streets are worst hit as there are no commercial water boreholes or wells in their areas. Drinking water has become like diamond as most of the wells in some areas across the city have dried up as a result of the increasing demand. The price of a sachet of water has doubled.
There are some water tankers that distribute water to the residents of the state capital, but they bring the water once a week. Some residents get only one to two buckets from the water tankers. Operators of commercial boreholes have hiked the prices of a keg from N20 to N50.
As a matter of urgency, Governor Bala Mohammed should embark on massive drilling of new boreholes with overhead tanks across the city to mitigate households’ untold hardships. He should also search for those abandoned boreholes projects and rehabilitate them so as to reduce the lingering scarcity of water.
Mustapha Baba Azare, Alkali Musa Street, Bauchi
