Residents Fear Outbreak Of Epidemic As Water Project Breaks Down

There is fear of possible outbreak of epidemic in Odo-Eku community of Isin local government area of Kwara State due to lack of access to potable water by the residents of the community.

Residents of the community lamented that they are drinking from the same water source where the cows drink from.

LEADERSHIP Friday gathered that the people of the community have been grappling with the problem of lack of access to potable water for decades.

The community, it was gathered relies on a small spring where residents share the water with cows for drinking and other domestic use.

The succour provided for the community through a water project executed by the Niger Lower River Basin Development Authority (LNRBDA) was shortlived as the facility broke down six months after it was commissioned.

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A community leader in Odo – Eku, Elder Ogundeji,said the water project was constructed in 2020, but collapsed within a few months.

“We face challenges of access to clean drinking water in our community. The water system provided by the federal government stopped working within six months of its construction,“ he said.

Another respondent who pleaded anonymity lamented that residents, especially women and children have to travel several miles to fetch water, especially during the dry season.

“Pregnant women and nursing mothers usually go to a river called Omi-Eku to fetch water, especially at times when insecurity has taken over the whole area,” she lamented.

Another resident, Hajia Shade Kareem said : „The water situation is a major problem in this community. As elderly people, we don‘t have children around who can go to far distances to fetch water. Most of the time, we give people money to help us fetch water. You will see them with kegs on their bikes, going long distances to fetch water.

„Where there is no water, problems always persist. We cannot wash our clothes. Before we can drink water, we need to boil the dirty water before it becomes safe to drink.“