Residents of the Dagbalodo community in Kpada Ward I, Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State are digging the ground with their hands to get water for drinking and domestic uses.

It was gathered that the residents have to wait after digging the sand for the water to accumulate before they fetch it and repeat the process several times to fill a big bowl.

The situation gets worse during the dry season when it takes over five hours to get water after the hand digging process has been repeated several times.

Lamenting their plight, the residents said portable water in the community had been a luxury for years now, a situation that has forced them to use dirty and untreated water.

The residents cried out for help as the lack of potable water continues to threaten the community.

A female member of the community said residents of the have to go through this very strenuous method to get water by digging the ground with their hands.

She said, “We have to wait for several hours for the water to accumulate, depending on the season, before fetching. During the dry season, it takes about 5 hours to get a small quantity of water from one of the holes which we drink and use for other domestic purposes. We are pleading for help from any quarters before this gets out of hand.”

Speaking on the issue, an official of the Elites Network for Sustainable Development (ENetSuD), an anti-corruption civil society organisation in Patigi, Barrister Yusuf Abdulkadir Nafanwona, said they have brought the plight of the people to concerned authorities in the council.

Barrister Nafanwona said, “Our team visited the community last week and the Transition Implementation Committee (TIC) Chairman of Patigi has been informed. He promised to get back to us but we have not heard from him yet. So, we also look beyond that by calling on public-spirited individuals to come to their rescue. The situation is very pathetic,” he added.

The TIC chairman in Patigi, Mohammed Ibrahim Liman, said efforts were on top gear to resolve the problem.

Liman said, “Yes, we are aware of it and we have spoken with the contractor who should be on site before the end of the month. The Senator representing Kwara North, Sadiq Umar, through one of his constituency projects, is sinking a borehole in the community.”

(Daily Trust)