It is said that the average person cannot go without water for more than three days – and this is testing the people living in the Agric internally displaced persons’ camp in the Dikwa Local Government Area, where thousands of residents have to trudge for miles to access potable drinking water.
Residents told RNI reporter Rawa Bukar Tela that the solar panel that was used to provide power to the borehole was stolen about two months ago.
Maimuna Hassan, chairwoman of the camp, said: “It has been two months since we have had no water. The borehole was our only source of water and four other camps in the area also relied on it. We have complained to the authorities but we have had no response.
“We have to walk for miles to fetch water from the river outside the town, especially when there has been a downpour.”
Hassan said it was difficult to cook without water and most of the time they did not wash their clothes. “We just leave our clothes dirty.”
She said most of the residents sent their children to fetch water from the river outside town. But elderly people and those women without children, or with very young children, were finding living without water a real trial.
Chairman of the camp Muhammad Harun said there were 5,446 IDPs living in the camp, all of whom were now living without potable water.
“The scarcity is affecting all of us. There is no place nearby where we can get water. The women and children travel for miles to get water. They leave as early as 5am and only return between 7pm and 8pm.
“Most of us cannot afford to buy the water. It is only those with money who can afford it. The rest of us travel for miles and then the water we get is not even safe.”
He said other camps, such as Fulatari and the Alai Bashir camp, had also relied on the borehole for water.
“Before, we used to have other sources of water, such as a few taps inside the camp but they stopped working a long time ago and have all dried up. After that, we all relied on the borehole before the solar panel was stolen.”
Harun said they were pleading with the authorities to repair the borehole and supply another solar panel.
“Everyone needs water to survive. We cannot go on like this forever. The authorities must help us and help us soon. We need some relief. It’s not just one or two of us. Thousands of people are depending on the authorities to fix the borehole. It cannot happen soon enough.”
AISHA SD JAMAL
