•Laments years of desperate struggle for survival •Residents worse off during dry season By Ike Uchechukwu
Igol-Ukpagada, a community of about 1000 people in Ogoja Local Government Area of Cross River State is fighting a desperate battle – access to clean drinking water.
For decades, the people have relied on a muddy stream as their sole source of water, with dire consequences for their health and well-being.
NDV checks reveal that residents, including women and children, fetch water daily from the stream for drinking, cooking, and other domestic use.
The stream, which flows only during the rainy season, becomes a nightmare during the dry season, leaving residents with no alternative but to rely on the murky water.
“We don’t have a choice, this is the only source of water here… we don’t have any other water apart from this unless it’s raining,” lamented Chief Emmanuel Idagu, a community leader. “If we don’t fetch from here, there’s no other place to get water.”
The consequences are alarming
The consumption of untreated surface water increases the risk of water-borne diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and typhoid fever, particularly in rural settlements with limited healthcare access.
“Sometimes, people urinate blood because of this source of water. Not many people can treat the water well before using it, so many come down with different ailments as a result,” Chief Idagu said.
“When you visit, you will see so many compounds using the water to cook, especially those who cannot afford pure water. How many of those people can afford that?
“You will be deeply shocked by the kind of water our people are forced to consume daily. No community deserves to live under such conditions, especially when access to clean and safe drinking water is a basic necessity of life.”
He described the situation as “hellish” during the dry season.
It’s not as if we don’t carry out our civic responsibilities.
“There are polling units here and we also vote. But after elections, it is stories we get. There is no functional borehole in our community.
“The people of Igol-Ukpagada deserve urgent intervention and this matter should not be treated lightly,” he emphasized.
Also speaking, a native, Mr. Peter Moshem, decried the lack of potable water in the community saying: “This is the only source of water here in this community.
“We are about 1000 people living in Igol-Ukpagada and we don’t have any other water apart from this unless it’s raining, then our stream flows,” he added.
A glimmer of hope, the natives recalled, appeared when a manual borehole was installed during former Governor Donald Duke’s administration but it has been non-functional for years.
They also revealed that the facility had been working intermittently before it eventually packed up. Residents said their repeated appeals for intervention have fallen on deaf ears, leaving the community to suffer.
The situation has sparked fears that children and elderly persons in the community are most vulnerable. The people are calling out for help. “No community deserves to live under such conditions,” Chief Idagu pleads. “We need urgent intervention to avert an impending epidemic.”
They urged the Cross River State government, development agencies, and humanitarian organisations to intervene and provide a sustainable water solution to alleviate their suffering.
