Water scarcity has continued to hit residents of Abaji metropolis in the FCT with water vendors popularly known as (Mai ruwa) increasing their price by 90 per cent.
City & Crime’s findings showed that a 20-litre water jerrycan, which is previously sold at N50, is now sold between N100 and N200 depending on the distance where the vendors fetch from.
A water vendor in the area, Lawali Adamu, who spoke with our reporter on Sunday, said he usually sells a full truck of water, which contains ten jerrycans at N500, saying he increased the price to N1000 as a result of the non-availability of water.
“Before now, I sell each 20-litre jerrycan for N50, but for two weeks, water became scarce as some boreholes where we fetch from had stopped pumping water,” he said.
He said many houses that have boreholes selling to the vendors had stopped pumping because of the erratic power supply.
He said he now treks two kilometres before getting water to sell to customers, saying some borehole owners complained that the amount they spent on diesel or fuel to pump has increased.
“I used to buy ten jerrycans of 20 litres at N200, which is about two weeks ago, but now I have to buy ten jerrycans of water at N500 and above, and you also have to consider the distance where you get the water from,’ he added.
Another water vendor, Samaila Bala, said the water scarcity in the metropolis was responsible for the increase in the price of water.
Meanwhile, our reporter who went round some areas within the metropolis, observed that many households are still groaning over the acute scarcity in the area.
It was observed that residents, especially women, woke up as early as 4 am trekking long distances to search for water. Those who were lucky to get from their neighbour’s house had to queue for a long time.
City & Crime reports that as a result of the water scarcity, a fight broke out between two young women at Anguwar Abattoir extension on Sunday morning while struggling to fetch water from a neighbour’s house in the area.
A witness, Mrs Toyin Ajayi, who spoke shortly after our reporter arrived the area, said the trouble started after one of the women, who came to fetch water refused to join the queue and insisted to fetch water before others that have been waiting.
“How I wish you came here early to see for yourself what water scarcity has caused this morning, as two fought each other until they were later separated,” she said.
According to her, one of the women insisted that she must join the queue, and the other woman insisted that she must fetch water, saying the other angrily threw her basin away, which resulted in a fight.
A cross-section of the residents appealed to the FCT administration to, as a matter of urgency, come to their aid by revamping the abandoned multimillion-naira water project in Abaji to address the annual water problem in the area.
Sources at the FCT Water Board said work would soon resume at the Abaji water project.
