Vigilant Report: Meet the communities in Abeokuta where water is the biggest challenge

by Hameed Folorunsho

Evidence from this report confirms the challenge faced by residents in some communities in Abeokuta when it comes to getting portable clean water.

Sabo in Abeokuta North LG has two boreholes; one is currently in a state of disrepair while the other is not serving the community. Another borehole which is totally out of use could be seen few meters away. A resident of the community disclosed to YMonitor that it has been over 12 years since Sabo community had access to pipe borne water from the state water corporation. This no water situation led people of the community to resort to other alternatives of getting water. These alternatives include Meager stream, privately owned boreholes where people pay between twenty naira and fifty naira to get 25 litres of water

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Temidire, another community in Sabo has an MDG facilitated borehole which has since gone out of use. Within the same community where the borehole was cited, people were seen fetching water from a well, the water which is not clean. It was realised that most of those who came to fetch water from the well all came from distant places to get this visibly unclean water.

This same situation was discovered in Bajomo area, along Ayetoro road, where people have to walk long distance to get water either from well or borehole. It should be noted that there is an FG facilitated borehole in the Bajomo area, which is a palliative of some sorts to the residents of the Bajomo community.

This situation of lack of pipe borne water in the Sabo community also extends to communities like Old Ogun Radio, Mile 2, Adeun, Rounder-Idiya, and Soyoye all in Abeokuta North Local Government. These areas have never had access to government powered pipe borne water.

While filing this report, women and children were seen at different streets carrying water on their head.

The residents of these communities are calling on the Ogun State Government to wake up to her responsibility of taking the welfare of the citizens with utmost priority as this situation of lack of portable water can lead to epidemic.