Residents of Dagbalodo village in Kpada Ward I of Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State have narrated how they rely on dirty water in the community.
A video obtained by SaharaReporters shows residents of the community digging out dirty water from the ground with their hands.
It was gathered that women and children in the village have to dig the ground with their hands to access dirty water for their family to drink, cook and wash clothes.
WATCH: Residents Of Kwara Community Dig The Ground With Their Hands For Dirty Water To Drink pic.twitter.com/v9k6ByHIPg
— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) September 19, 2021
The residents during a visit by an anti-corruption civil society organisation, Elites Network for Sustainable Development (ENetSuD), said they have been excluded from water supply for years, forcing them to resort to fetching untreated water from the ground.
“This is how we get water by digging holes; after digging, when it accumulates, we will now start fetching the water. It’s individually, you have to do it yourself. During the dry season, it takes nothing less than 5 hours to get something like this. You can see the small quantity from this hole now, I will have to wait till it accumulates again before fetching. Even to watch clothes is rare here. No drinkable water,” a villager was heard saying.
A statement from an official of the ENetSuD read, “Individuals in the village who come to get water from the waterlogged sand will have to dig his/her own hole under the sand before getting the water, and they must wait for the water to accumulate before they can fetch it.
“ENetSuD is appealing to the government (Federal, State, or Local), philanthropists, and members of the public to help the village with the provision of potable water. A borehole will solve the community’s problem.”
“Anyone interested in helping the village with the provision of a borehole can contact the following ENetSuD officials in Patigi LGA: Usman Baba Mahmudu (08033434828) and Barr. Yusuf Abdulkadir Nafanwona (08032133000).”
On July 22, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported 526 deaths from cholera while there are 22,130 suspected cases in 2021 alone.
The primary cause of cholera is the ingestion of contaminated food and water, mainly fuelled by the lack of water and sanitation hygiene (WASH) infrastructures.
Water Aid says 60 million people in Nigeria lack access to clean water. That is one in every three people.
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