Scarcity: Calabar Residents now bath with satchet water (Details)

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It has been revealed that residents of Calabar, the capital of Cross River State have resorted to the use sachet water to take their bath following the acute water scarcity that has hit the metropolis.

According to Punch Metro, residents in the Calabar-South and Calabar Municipality axis of the metropolis expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of water in the last two months.

They lamented that the situation had forced them to resort to the use of sachet water.

There are insinuations that the water situation was worsened by the kidnap of the state Commissioner for Water Resources, Mr. Gabriel Odu-Oji, who was released after the payment of N10.4m ransom to the kidnappers who held him for 31 days.

A resident of Asari-Iso in Calabar Municipality, Mrs. Magdalene Okoi, said the situation was worrisome, adding that it has worsened the economic state of most homes because of the huge bills being incurred with the constant purchase of sachet water.

“This is about the second month that there had been water scarcity. We are now being forced to use pure water to take out bath because of lack of supply from the water corporation. Unfortunately, Calabar is one city that is surrounded by water which cannot be consumed. We are dying in silence,” she lamented.

Another resident of Howel Street, off Mayne Avenue in Calabar South, Mr. Etim Daniel, said the area had been without water for more than three months.

He said, “This situation is seriously affecting us and we do not know to cry to anymore because we have those in authority who no longer listen to the yearnings of the masses. Apart from water, there is complete collapse of social infrastructure across the metropolis. This is becoming unbearable.”

In his reaction, Managing Director of the Cross River State Water Board, Prof. Godwin Igile, said the corporation was carrying out maintenance as a result of large-scale vandalisation.

He said, “Yes, it is true there is no water in Calabar metropolis. This is because we are carrying out repairs of our facilities. Besides, they have vandalised and stolen our equipment and this is making it difficult for us to operate at optimum.

“For a very long time now, we have not done maintenance, so we decided to carry it out and we don’t know when it be completed so we don’t know when we will start pumping water to residents.

“I took over in December 2015 and we had water all through last year. I plead with consumers to bear with us while we are trying to give them portable drinking water.”