It’s been more than 30 years since the residents of the Zarmari community in the Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State had clean, freely available water.
Since then the water had run dry and the residents have had to make the long, backbreaking trek to get water for their daily needs.
But the community is now tired of the daily slog and angry that no one has come to their aid. They are demanding that the authorities do something to help their plight, describing their situation as dire.
RNI reporter Mustapha Abubakar spoke to residents of the village.
Abubakar Sadiq said: “We have been suffering for years because of the lack of water. We used to walk to Chabbal to fetch water; then we tried other villages, such as Shettimari, Limanti or Shuwari. We used wheelbarrows tied to donkeys to fetch water but because of the electricity blackout, which has lasted for more than a year, we cannot find any water anywhere.”
He said that years ago the government had dug a borehole for the community, but it had not been working for a very long time.
“We now buy water for ₦40 per gallon [about 150 litres] from sellers who fetch water from Maiduguri and bring it to the villages. There’s nothing we can do about it. If we want water we have to pay.”
Abba Kura said: “We have no water. Two of the previous governments had dug boreholes in Zarmari. Something in the first one broke down and was never fixed. The second borehole did not work at all, not since it was dug.
“Every time we had to vote during elections, the would-be politicians promised us water. But they were just promises. Empty promises. No one has done anything to help us. Often we have to leave our businesses just to search for water. People cannot exist like this.”
Kuru said there was a time when a group of organisations arrived to help them find water. But it was to no avail.
“Some people arrived to help dig a borehole. They dug but after trying for 200 to 300 feet [about 60m to 90m], the water still did not come. They left telling us that they would be back. We have never seen them since.”
Bulama Grema Zarmari, the community leader of Zarmari, said that their water had been scarce for more than 30 years. But it had now become a major problem.
“Even though we are only about 3km from Maiduguri, the capital city, it’s a daily struggle to get water. We have to pay between ₦30 to ₦40 a gallon. But it’s impossible to live without water, so we pay.”
Grema Sarmari said the roads were in a bad condition. “They are full of gravel and sand and are uneven. We used to use donkeys to transport water because of the condition of the road. But now we do not even have donkeys – man of us had to sell them to buy foodstuff. Now we either have to carry the water back on our heads to our homes. Or we wait for the sellers to bring us water.
“We have suffered for years from the water scarcity. It is enough now. It’s time the authorities did something about it. We have waited too long and there have been too many empty promises. We cannot live without water. The authorities must do something about it now.”
AISHA JAMAL
