Resident scooping dirty water from the man-made ponds
Chima Azubuike
In this report, CHIMA AZUBUIKEfocused on Afghanistan, a community in Gombe State where residents have endured two decades of living without clean water to drink, cook and solve basic needs
As the sun blazed ferociously, the most important thing on the minds of Afghanistan residents, a community in Gombe state, was how to get clean water to cool their parched throats.
For over two decades, the community, which wears a dusty, rustic look groans heavily under the yoke of acute water shortage.
The inability to access clean water to solve basic household needs, PUNCH Healthwise learnt, leaves them at the mercy of waterborne diseases in the face of non-existent healthcare services.
Ishaq Mohammed-Salis, 32, told PUNCH Healthwise that the desperation to get water made residents to manually dig pockets of shallow ponds, which provided them with murky water that ended up increasing their woes.
“The water in the ponds is dirty but we are left with no choice but to use them to solve our basic needs,” he lamented.
Meanwhile, Mohammed-Salis, who runs a patent medicine store in the area, told our correspondent that most residents come to him with symptoms of waterborne disease like cholera, and typhoid, but that due to poverty, the only drug they can afford is paracetamol.
“There is no water and no help has come from the state government. People are suffering here. We have over 1000 houses in this community and you can find more than 20 occupants in one house. People are suffering here. Residents here are helpless and feel abandoned.
A 2019 report by the United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Health Organisation, stated that one in three individuals worldwide lacks access to safe drinking water.
It further noted that the presence of contaminated water not only leads to poor hygiene but also facilitates the transmission of diseases such as cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A, and typhoid. The
Sad ordeals of women
When PUNCH Healthwise got to the community, young boys and girls were seen in a place called Kwari Afghanistan, meaning Afghanistan’s River, scooping from the dirty ponds dug by the residents.
Afghanistan women, boys and girls scooping water in search of water
38-year-old Maimuna Adamu, who has five children said she uses the dirty water from the pond to cook and for other household chores as there is no other alternative.
“More than 90 per cent of us residing in this area consume this water. I don’t have any choice but to use it as it is free even with its associated health risks,” she said gloomily.
According to her, it costs so much to buy water from another community, which is quite a distance.
“A wheelbarrow of water containing six jerry cans will cost me N1000. I can’t afford it. We need help from the government,” she appealed.
Also, 35-year-old Sadiya Mohammed, said she has no option than to use the water, despite knowing that it is dangerous to her health.
The mother of seven told our correspondent that despite boiling the water before drinking, her children still fall sick.
15, 000 residents urgently need water – Village head
The village head of Afghanistan, Mustapha Yunusa-Yakubu, lamented the challenges faced by residents and called on the government to come to their rescue.
He said, “This community was created over 22 years ago during the first term of Governor Danjuma Goje. Based on the 2006 census, we are over 10,000, but now, the population of this area must be over 15,000 people. Unfortunately, it’s like we don’t exist.
Village head says the community has been without water for over 20 years
“We don’t have water, road and school. We urge the government or civil society organisations to come to our aid. We need to feel the dividends of democracy.”
Low access to water in Nigeria
Water is an absolute necessity for human survival. However, access to fresh water is becoming critical in several parts of the country.
The consequences of not having access to potable water are far overreaching.
The World Health Organisation strongly recommends a minimum daily consumption of two litres of water to support overall well-being and prevent dehydration-related complications.
WHO
Access to clean water and sanitation, as outlined in Sustainable Development Goal 6, is a fundamental human right, yet it remains a challenge for millions worldwide.
A Sustainable Development Goals Report in 2022 highlighted that around 2 billion people lack access to reliably managed drinking water services, while an estimated 4.2 billion people lack access to safe sanitation facilities as of 2020.
The report underscores the fact that the water crisis profoundly impacts health, well-being, and productivity, resulting in millions of deaths annually from waterborne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, and typhoid fever, with women and girls bearing a disproportionate burden as they often spend hours fetching water, exposing themselves to risks of violence and harassment due to inadequate sanitation facilities.
The World Bank estimates that 70 million Nigerians lack access to safe drinking water, while 114 million lack access to basic sanitation facilities.
Additionally, a WaterAid fact sheet predicts that by 2030, water scarcity could displace anywhere between 24 million to 700 million people globally, with significant implications for Nigeria, where a substantial portion of the population already lacks access to clean water.
The deficiency in access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene services remains a pressing issue in Nigeria, especially in rural communities.
Obsolete water facility
Our correspondent, while moving around the community, saw a non-functional water facility manually operated with an obsolete hand pump, and was told that it required about N20,000 to start functioning again.
Unfortunately, it was gathered that the amount was too much for a community where residents struggle to make ends meet.
The faulty obsolete water facility with a manual pump that once gave soccour to residents
The village head said, “The facility operated with a hand pump was built and donated years ago by an organisation but got damaged. We can’t raise the amount of money needed to repair it. We are struggling to see how to get money to eat. What is needed to fix the tap is N20,000 but the question is, who will provide the money?”
Community must follow due process – Govt official
When PUNCH Healthwise went to the Gombe State Community and Social Development Agency office to find out efforts being made to address the water scarcity faced by the Afghanistan community, the Gender Officer, Zuwaira Ahmed-Kumo, said it can only be solved if due process is followed by residents.
She said, “They must have a community development association or they can come through women groups or persons with disabilities. They have to write a letter known as an expression of interest and will need to register with the local government.
“Each local government has a desk officer that serves as a mediator between CSDP and communities. The registration is not that much. Once, they register they will collect the certificate attached with the letter of expression of interest, which they can bring to us.
“Before bringing, it they should seek the support of their political leaders, or those representing them to fast-track the process. They can then come on a courtesy call to the General Manager’s office.”
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the agency, Comfort Mukollo, explained that the process outlined was imperative to fast-track the needed development.
Comfort Mukollo
“Already the agency has over 10,000 requests and we intervene in batches. If we say that we should adopt the first-to-come approach, they may not get it because of the urgency,” she said.
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