Trail Reporters
Hundreds of Calabar residents are currently facing predicament on the dirty water being supplied to their homes from the state water board.
Residents said, they have not had clean public water supply in their homes for months. “The last time we saw clean water here was last year,” Said Moffi, a Civil servant residing in Lemna axis of Calabar.
Other residents of the area told similar story while interacting with our reporters. Another civil servant working in the ministry of Justice also said, for months now, we have not had clean water supply in this compound yet we pay our water bills regulary.”
The story is not different for a food vendor who gave her name as Eka inem who has now forgotten when last her restaurant in that area was supplied with clean pipe-borne water.
According to her, she has to stress herself to buy water in order to meet up the daily demands of her business.
Trail Reporters gathered that, dirty water supply in Calabar has indeed brought hardship to the city’s residents as well dislocated their social and economic activities.
Moffi, a Resident, told Trail reporters that he is now applying for a loan to enable him drill a borehole, to avoid buying water, form part of his domestic chores since the state government has failed in giving clean water.
We also learnt that the situation is not different in other areas of the state capital where residents also make use of the water supply from the Cross River State Water Board Corporation.
The people have resigned themselves to fate. Dirty supply of drinking water has compelled some of them to sort for means of drilling their personal borehole.
Calabar dirty water supply situation presents an intriguing paradox. A city surrounded by water, yet residents who patronize CRSWBC have no good water to drink.
Another source who spoke with Trail reporters considering this issue on phone attributed the inadequate supply of clean water to the outdated mode of treatment and distribution of water which he said, is lagging behind the non payment of over 9 months salary of casual staff in the water board.
Further investigation by Trail reporters revealed that the board Chairman of the Cross River State Water Board Corporation, Dr. Igile who now double as the procurement officer of water treatment chemicals, allegedly diverted money for the procurement of water treatment chemicals to his personal use.
A visit to the site where the water is gotten from by our Trail reporters team showed that, the water is generated from a dirty river and is supposed to be treated before giving out for public consumption.
Meanwhile, efforts by our team to gain entrance into the CRSWBC headquarters in Marian road were turned down by gate men who also declined to speak with us.
Some of the residents who also spoke with our Reporters, said, they were appealing to the state government to kindly come to their aid and ensure that a clean portable supply of water is made available to them.
As at the time of this report, efforts to speak with the management of the board were unsuccessful.
