Enugu residents face acute water scarcity

A resident in Enugu says she has been buying water at exorbitant rates from vendors for the past nine years.

Residents of Enugu, the Enugu State capital, are facing acute water scarcity.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent, who monitored the situation in Enugu on Thursday, reported that the worst hit were residents of Independence Layout, Community Layout in Transekulu, Achara Layout and Emene.

Some of the residents told NAN that they had not had water since the New Year, adding that they had been at the mercy of water vendors.

Pat Chukwuma, who lives at Independence Layout, told NAN she has been buying water from vendors since she moved into the layout nine years ago.

“Ever since I moved into this area, we only had tap water twice in 2014 but from then till now, I buy water from vendors at a very costly amount, between N18,000 and N20,000.

“Again, we cannot do borehole due to the topography of Enugu which is covered by coal,” she said.

Eucharia Ukwu, who lives at the Community Layout, Transekulu, said they were not even reticulated since the area was created, adding that she relied on well water and water from vendors.

“In fact, the situation is worrisome and we are appealing to the state government to address the problem urgently,” she said.

The situation is similar in Emene and Achara layout, as residents also buy water in gallons from wells and vendors.

NAN