Jos residents lament 30 years of water scarcity

In the capital city of Jos, water is equivalent to gold. Providing potable water to the residents of Jos has been an age-long problem which the residents have come to terms with, sadly, as they now turn to other alternatives for water. While many people lament the situation, water vendors appear to be profiting from it. Daily Trust Saturday reports.

For over 30 years, the Plateau State Government has not been able to provide adequate potable water to residents of Jos, the capital city.

Daily Trust Saturday reports that for these years, the level of water supply in the state capital has not improved despite the fact that population growth has continued to soar every year.

Consequently, water vendors are making efforts to fill the gap created by the inaction of the government. They take water to the doorsteps of residents and even places of worship, making good profit in return.

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Many youths in the city, especially those who lack the requisite academic qualifications to look for white collar jobs, have taken to water vending as a means of livelihood.

Speaking on the business of water vending in Jos, Chibuzor Okoli, who owns a borehole said, “I dug this place eight years ago because people were looking for water to buy. This is a business area. There are markets and restaurants, as well as residential houses, so people need water on a daily basis.

“So far, I am not regretting doing the business because people cannot do without water”.

Alhaji Kauje Aliyu in Rikkos also said, “I dug boreholes not mainly because I wanted to make money but because I saw the way our people were suffering due to lack of water. And you can see that through borehole, many youths have gotten jobs. All they need to do is to get a wheelbarrows and jerry-cans and they will be making money. Good enough, there are people waiting for you to deliver water to their doorsteps.”

Our correspondent observed that residents of Langtang, Shendam, Rwang Pam, Panyam, Church, Pankshin, Ndagi-Farouk, West of Mines and other streets get water from Okoli’s borehole, which is one of the numerous others in the Jos-Bukuru metropolis.

Every community – from Tudunwada, Hwolshe, Jenta Adamu, Alheri, Zaria Road to Tafawa Balewa – has a couple of boreholes.

Nuru Aliyu, who has been hawking water in Jos for over 10 years said, “This is what I do for a living. With the help of my wheelbarrow I buy and sell water and make profit.” It is through this business that Aliyu takes care of his two wives and seven children. And there are hundreds of people like him.

“We use 25 litres of jerry-cans to convey water to our customers. I sell between 100 and 150 of the jerry-cans every day,” he added.

Daily Trust Saturday reports that the retailers buy a 25-litre of water from borehole owners at N10 and sell at the rate of N30,00.

A 65-year-old water vendor, Hassan Yagusa, who was seen pushing his wheelbarrow in Rikkos community of Jos North Local Government Area said, “I have been doing the business for six years now. I make at least N3,000 every day, and that’s how I feed my family.”

Abdulrahaman Umar also said, “I chose to hawk water because I didn’t want to be idle. It is a very hard work to push this wheelbarrow around, but I have to do it because people are looking for water everywhere. I am not from this state. Many of us used to come and sell water during the dry season, but during the rains we return to our villages to farm.”

Narrating his experience, a resident of old Bukuru Park, Victor Osondu said, “I have been in Jos for more than 25 years and I have never seen water running through government pipes. We are used to buying water for domestic use. We buy a 25-litre of water at N30; so if you have N200 you can only get water to use for two days. You can imagine what the situation would have been if these water vendors were not here; there would have been a lot of problems.”

Also, Mrs Deborah Osita, who runs a restaurant at Tafawa Balewa Street said, “I use at least 250 litres of water every day for cooking and washing. Any day I don’t see water vendors there won’t be business  because they are the only ones that bring water to us.

The same story applies to numerous restaurant owners in the Jos central areas.

Daily Trust Saturday also reports that although the administration of Governor Simon Bako Lalong claimed to have invested hugely in the water sector, the situation has rather deteriorated; and the prevailing water scarcity in the state capital does not reflect any serious investment in the sector.

It was also learnt that the state government is owing the Jos Electricity Distribution Company a huge amount of money running into millions of naira of accumulated electricity bills. As a result, the company disconnected power supply to the three water treatment plants in the city, especially the Yakubu Gowon Water Treatment Plant and the Lamingo Dam Water Treatment Plant since February this year.

Consequently, the disconnection affected water supply to residents; hence the need to devise another means of getting water.

Daily Trust Saturday further reports that the situation has become so bad that places of worship now source for water from available boreholes and take to the homes of their members, even as politicians used it as a campaign tool during the 2023 elections. They engaged in digging boreholes for various communities across the state.

Responding to the situation, the acting general manager of the Plateau State Water Board, Stella Buge, did not deny the debt owed Jos Electricity Distribution Company, which is affecting water supply to the city. She, however, said only the public relations officer of the Board could confirm the details of the debt.

But the public relations officer of the Board, Nangor Ndam, was not in office when our correspondent visited for confirmation and comments, and his mobile telephone lines were switched off.