A woman fetching from a dirty stream
Sodiq Ojuroungbe
For decades, five Ogun communities lived without access to potable water and struggled to live by sourcing water from dirty ditches and a stream.
However, they will now have a reason to jubilate and once again, live normal lives as their cries for help have received much-needed attention and reassurance, as the Border Communities Development Agency, Abuja, has promised to provide them boreholes.
This development is in response to a PUNCH Healthwise investigative report, which chronicled how residents of Asaa, Agbelepon, Agbele, Oke-Odo Ibore, and Lafenwa in the Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, faced health risks from consuming contaminated water.
It was also revealed that they also embarked on arduous journies across the border to the neighbouring Benin Republic in search of this essential amenity.
The report with the headline, “Dying by the Dozens: Ogun communities’ perilous quest for clean water across Benin Republic’s Borders’, was published on Sunday, April 14, 2024.
In the report, our correspondent narrated how the inability to access good boreholes or reliable wells compelled residents of these five agrarian communities to fetch water from contaminated streams and ditches or endure hours of travel across the border to the Benin Republic, just to fetch clean water.
One of the ditches turned dirty stream. Photo; Sodiq Ojuroungbe
The report also exposed how the lack of clean water led to several deaths and health-related problems.
Reacting to the report, the BCDA reached out to PUNCH Healthwise and expressed readiness to drill boreholes in different parts of the affected communities.
On April 21, 2024, our correspondent joined a team from the Border Agency to the communities where a town hall meeting was held with the residents on how best to solve the water crisis plaguing the areas.
The town hall meeting
During the meeting, the team lead, who is a director from the agency, Atarhe Akpohwaye, assured the residents of immediate response to their plights.
Akpohwaye, who is also the Special Adviser to the Executive Secretary, Dr Kelly Alabo, said the team came with an engineer and would remain in the area until there is a permanent solution to the water crisis.
She explained that the communities fall within the areas under the agency, which are meant to be provided with basic amenities.
While stressing that the report by PUNCH Healthwise made them visit the community, Akpohwaye told the residents that the Executive Secretary has mandated the team to do everything possible to bring succour to them.
The officials with some community members
She added, “The new ES is passionate about border communities and how we can improve support for them.
“Immediately he saw this report done by the PUNCH Healthwise, he directed us to come here and mandated us to provide an everlasting solution to it. We are here to make sure you have access to clean water and also ensure this becomes a thing of the past.
“The mandate given to us by our Executive Secretary is that we should start something immediately. We are still going to be around and we will make sure that before the end of this week, something tangible is done.
“The agency is committed to providing basic amenities for border communities and we are going to do everything within our reach to ensure that you get potable water, among other needs.”
Earlier in his remark, the traditional ruler of Asaa, Adele Baale, Matthew Olukoku, appealed to the agency to help in providing potable water for the affected communities.
He lamented that the water they drink has been a source of waterborne illnesses like diarrhoea and dysentery, and also causes skin infections.
Olukoku also urged the agency to help renovate the primary school and health centre in the community.
“The water emits a foul odour and has an unpleasant taste, yet we are left with no alternative. It’s like consuming poison, but we are compelled to drink it.
“We are left with no recourse. These ditches have transformed into a symbol of our fight for survival, serving as a constant reminder of the hurdles we endure just to obtain the most fundamental necessities.
“It will be a thing of joy for us if we can get access to clean water. Our priority is water and if the agency can do this, we would be more than grateful,” the community leader noted.
#Speaking with PUNCH Healthwise after the meeting, the director from the agency said the team has also confirmed the water drank by the residents can lead to different health problems.
While describing the communities as neglected, she maintained that the agency would swing into action to solve their immediate need.
She added, “The mandate given to me by the ES is for us to immediately find a solution to their plights. We have met with them and even before we went there, this visit was based on the story in the PUNCH about the non-availability of water.
“We have gone to confirm that there is no water there and whatever they are drinking, they are still alive by the mercy of God.
“These communities have been neglected and they too are not asking for too much, they are just asking for basic things that the government is meant to provide for them – clean water!
“They have prioritised their needs; clean water, good primary health centre and school. And for us, what we intend to do this week is to address the water issue.
“The ES asked us to do everything possible to solve the immediate problem. I have already instructed our other staff to make arrangements on how we can get the borehole drilled and start the process immediately.
“These other needs they talked about, we are going to ensure that it is part of the 2025 budget, but their primary need is water and that is what we are going to provide for them immediately.”
Still on the PUNCH Healthwise report that attracted the attention of the agency, our correspondent, who toured the affected communities for days, painted a graphic picture of the ordeal residents of the five communities were going through and the significant loss of lives to illnesses caused by contaminated water sources around.
Speaking with residents of Asaa, Agbelepon, Agbele, Oke-Odo Ibore, and Lafenwa about this, they claimed that male residents had to provide reprieve by digging ditches, which could only provide unclean water, especially during the dry season.
They added that the water in the ditches worsens during the rainy seasons as they turn to murky streams.
When our correspondent visited the ditches in Asaa and Agbelepon, it was discovered that they were about five feet deep and dug into the hard-packed earth.
It was observed that the ditches, which had greenish water and were filled with debris, were seen in various locations within Asaa and Agbelepon.
Our correspondent discovered that water sourced from the ditches serves several purposes including drinking, cooking, and bathing.
Further investigation revealed that inhabitants of Agbele, Oke-Odo Ibore, and Lafenwa trek for as long as an hour to Asaa, to access the contaminated water from the ditches.
Investigations conducted by PUNCH Healthwise showed that the affected communities have been grappling with waterborne diseases such as cholera, skin infections, and typhoid for a long time.
During discussions with residents, concerns were raised about the grim reality of falling sick every time.
Joseph Oga, the community leader of Agbelepon, said it was not until after numerous deaths occurred that they were able to link the sad occurrences to water from the ditches.
Despite understanding the consequences of consuming the dirty water, residents are faced with two deadly options – to die drink the dangerous water, or embark on the long dangerous journey to Benin Republic to fetch clean water.
“It’s not a simple task and travelling to Benin Republic is like a whole day’s work for our women. Consequently, we often resort to drinking the water as it is and pray for a miracle to happen.
“It feels as though a curse has been placed upon us. We’re at a loss for what to do. We simply yearn for access to clean water so that we can live in peace.
“The absence of clean water has had a devastating impact on the people of Asaa, and its effects continue to linger,” lamented the visibly distressed community leader.
Also expressing his disappointment, the youth leader of Asaa, Adebisi Oludokun, said, “Mysterious deaths are common here, particularly among the youth and children
“There was a time we had a cholera outbreak and a lot of people died in this area, but it looks like the government doesn’t care about what we are going through.”
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