CROSS RIVER RESIDENTS APPEAL FOR ACCESS TO SAFE DRINKING WATER

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By: Fasasi Hammad

Igol-Ukpagada, a community of around 1,000 residents in Ogoja Local Government Area of Cross River State, is grappling with a severe lack of clean drinking water.

For decades, locals have depended on a muddy stream as their only water source, with serious health consequences. NDV reports that women and children fetch water from the stream daily for drinking, cooking, and household use. The stream flows only during the rainy season, leaving residents with no alternative during dry periods.

Chief Emmanuel Idagu, a community leader, lamented: “We don’t have a choice—this is the only source of water here. If we don’t fetch from here, there’s no other place to get water.”

The reliance on untreated surface water exposes residents to waterborne diseases like cholera, dysentery, and typhoid, particularly in areas with limited healthcare. “Sometimes, people urinate blood because of this water. Many cannot properly treat it, so illnesses are common,” Chief Idagu added.

He described the situation as “hellish” during the dry season and criticized the lack of functional infrastructure despite civic participation: “There are polling units here, and we vote. But after elections, it’s just stories. There is no functional borehole in our community. Urgent intervention is needed.”

Mr. Peter Moshem, another native, echoed the concerns: “We are about 1,000 people living here, and apart from this stream, there’s no other water unless it rains. A manual borehole installed during former Governor Donald Duke’s administration has been non-functional for years.”

Repeated appeals for help have gone unanswered, leaving children and the elderly most vulnerable. Residents are calling on the Cross River State government, development agencies, and humanitarian organizations to provide a lasting solution and prevent a potential health crisis.

Chief Idagu stressed: “No community deserves to live under such conditions. We need urgent intervention to avert an impending epidemic.”