Residents of Maitama, Wuse 1 and 2 as well as Wuye districts in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have expressed frustration over the prolonged disruption of public water supply, saying the situation has left households and businesses struggling to meet their daily water needs.
The residents, who spoke separately with Abuja Metro, said the scarcity, which has persisted for about two weeks, has forced many families to depend on commercial water tankers, local water vendors (Mai ruwa) and nearby boreholes, leading to increased household expenses and disruptions to their daily routines.
The scarcity has also affected sanitation, cooking, laundry and other domestic activities, while business owners say it is taking a toll on their operations.
Mrs Rakiya Aliyu, a trader residing in Wuse Zone 3, described the situation as one of the most difficult her family has experienced in recent times.
“We’ve not had water from the public taps for almost two weeks now. Every day, we buy water from vendors to cook, bathe and do other household chores. It’s becoming too expensive for many families,” she said.
According to her, residents now spend hours searching for water because there is no certainty about when vendors will arrive.
“The hardest part is that you’re never sure when water will be available. Sometimes, we spend hours waiting for vendors. We’ve had to reduce how we use water and even reuse it for things like flushing toilets just to make the little we buy last longer,” she added.
Aliyu appealed to the authorities to expedite efforts to restore public water supply.
“We just want the authorities to fix the problem quickly because this situation is putting unnecessary pressure on residents,” she said.
Another resident, Mr Joseph Simon, a civil servant living in Wuse Zone 5, said the shortage has disrupted his family’s normal routine and imposed additional financial burdens.
“This shortage has disrupted our normal way of life. My children now leave home very early to fetch water, and it’s affecting our daily routine,” he said.
He explained that the cost of purchasing water has become an unexpected expense.
“The money we’re spending on water every week wasn’t part of our budget. Instead of using that money for other family needs, we’re forced to spend it on something that should be readily available.”
To cope with the situation, Simon said his family now harvests rainwater whenever possible.
“For now, we collect rainwater whenever it rains for washing and cleaning, while the little clean water we buy is reserved for cooking and drinking. It’s not easy.”
He urged the authorities to address the problem permanently by improving water infrastructure and ensuring uninterrupted water distribution.
For business owners, the shortage has translated into higher operating costs and reduced patronage.
Mrs Zainab Mustapha, who operates a hair salon in Wuse Zone 2, said access to water has become one of the biggest challenges facing her business.
“Running a salon without water is almost impossible. There are days where I have to buy water before I can even attend to my customers, and that means extra expenses for my business,” she said.
She added that some customers leave when they discover there is no adequate water supply.
“Some customers become impatient when there’s no water, and it affects business. We now depend almost entirely on water vendors, but their prices keep increasing.”
Mustapha appealed to the government to hasten efforts to restore normal water supply.
“I hope the government will restore the public water supply as soon as possible. Small business owners are suffering because of this shortage,” she said.
Residents said the prolonged scarcity has compelled many households to adopt strict water rationing measures.
Some now reuse water for non-potable purposes such as flushing toilets, while others rely on bottled or sachet water for drinking and cooking.
They also noted that long queues have become common at functioning boreholes, while the rising cost of water supplied by vendors continues to stretch already strained household budgets.
They called on the FCT Water Board and other relevant authorities to expedite ongoing rehabilitation works, repair damaged pipelines and strengthen water infrastructure to prevent future disruptions.
Residents called on the relevant authorities to restore the water supply as soon as possible, saying the continued shortage is making life difficult and could lead to sanitation problems if it is not resolved.
On his part, Mr Taiye, a landlord in Wuse Zone 3 said, it has been challenging for him and his tenants.
“My tenants complain every day because there’s no water. We’ve been hiring water tankers to fill our overhead tanks, and the cost is shared among everyone. It’s an extra financial burden that could have been avoided because for how long can we keep up with this?” he asked.
Some other residents expressed frustration over the situation, stating that the scarcity has added to the challenges they already face.
‘Damaged trunk line responsible for scarcity’
Acting General Manager of the FCT Water Board, Mrs Naye Istifanus, was not available when one of our reporters visited her office yesterday.
However, Abuja Metro gathered that the ongoing scarcity was caused by damage to a major trunk line supplying water to the affected districts during a road construction work by a firm in the territory.
It was further learnt that a team of engineers have been working hard to fix the damaged trunk line to ensure water is restored.
The Board had in an earlier announcement informed residents that an ongoing emergency maintenance work on its damaged trunk line was responsible for the non-supply of water and assured that supply would be restored once fixed.
Meanwhile, the FCT Water Board has informed all customers and residents of Maitama, Wuse 1, Wuse 2 and Wuye Districts that the Board has deployed commercial water tankers to supply potable water free of charge to the affected areas pending the completion of the ongoing maintenance work.
“The four districts have been without water supply for over one week due to emergency repairs on the main trunk line. The repairs have been delayed beyond schedule due to persistent heavy rainfalls.
“This intervention is to provide immediate relief to residents pending the completion of the maintenance work. The water being supplied by these tankers is completely free. Any person demanding payment for this service is acting illegally. Such incidents should be reported immediately to the FCT Water Board Headquarters, Garki Area 3,” the Board said in a public announcement yesterday.
The Board, while appreciating customers and residents for their patience, assured that normal water supply will be restored as soon as the maintenance work is completed.