By Correspondent in Lokoja.
Residents of Lokoja, capital of Kogi State,have called on the state government to speed up the repair water pipeline that supplies water to the public, to arrest the current scarcity of potable water in the area.
The residents,who made call in separate interview with the Correspondent of The Reporters in Lokoja on Friday, expressed concern that the scarcity of such precious commodity was telling much of their domestic and commercial activities.
They said that many of them had resorted to fetching well water and from River Niger, a development they observed was not good for their health.
The people argued that the problem became more compounded by the fact many of the few individuals who owned boreholes did not make such facility accessible to the public.
“In my family, we so much rely on potable water that we hardly drink borehole, well water or the so-called”pure water.
“However, with the scarcity of potable water, running for two weeks now, we have no option than make do with any other water at our disposal.at the risk of our health, Mrs Hassana Aliyu told the online publication.
A restaurant operator, who pleaded anonymity, said the inability to get potable water to run her business had brought untold hardship to the business.
“I beg the state government to hasten the repair of water pipeline, as fast as possible, to return to supplying us with clean and healthy water,”she urged.
The Reporters recalls that the Commissioner for Water Resources, Abdulmumuni Danga, had earlier notified the residents of disruption of water supply to the public in order to carry out a major repair to damaged pipeline that supplied to Lokoja and its environs.
According to him, the repair will involve the supplying water from the main source at the greater Lokoja Water Works in Ganaja area at the bank of River Niger to the major reservoir in Lokoja township, saying that the dry season provides the best time for such repair.
Apart from the crucial role water plays in social and economic life of any society, health experts explain that it also protects body organs and tissues, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, lubricates joints, lessens burden on the kidneys and liver by flushing out waste products among other functions.
