Water Scarcity Hits Lokoja Amidst Fear Of COVID 19 Spread

The perennial scarcity of portable drinking water has resurfaced in the new year as residents of the state capital groan.

The scarcity is more critical in the government reserve area (GRA) in the city. Residents roam about with empty water cans each morning in search of the essential commodity

Those who reside near the confluence river like Adankolo, Gadumo, Old market, Natako etc. had to make do with the unhygienic water from the flowing river.

The situation is said to be endemic in the larger Lokoja community, and its environs due to government’s inability to reticulate water to the entire state capital.

A resident, Abba Gonna said, “Specifically, since 28th of December,2020 supply and reticulation of pipe-borne water built by the former administration of Alhaji Ibrahim Idris had stopped without any action from the state government.”

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Most residents of the state capital now resort to buying water from tankers, borehole and rivers that are not treated with serious health implications.

This is coming at the heat of the dreaded pandemic of COVID-19 and other ailments that could threaten the living standard of ordinary kogites.

“Reticulation of water thrice in a week had become a mirage, even when the previous administration for 13 years ran the waterworks ‘free of charge’ to the residents of Lokoja,” said a resident Audu Akor.

Some members of Lokoja Community who prefers name’s not mentioned appeal to the state government to resuscitate the greater Lokoja waterworks after introducing water rates.

This is coming as the supply of electricity is epileptic in the state capital, with bad roads and the shortage of social services in the state capital and across the state.

“The only activities in Lokoja now is Bello for President 2023 campaign posters which flooded the state capital

According to the protocols’ of the COVID-19 pandemic, water is a corollary to sound health as the washing of hands with clean water, and drinkable ones had become a corollary to address the disease.

The SDGs template of 17 goals, water is part of the Sustainable Development for the underdeveloped and developing countries, which Nigeria is not an exception.