Clean Water Crisis Persists in Ebonyi Communities, Nigerian Graduate Raises Alarm

A Mass Communication graduate, Okoche Akachukwu Joshua, has called on the Ebonyi State Government to urgently improve access to clean drinking water, saying many communities are still struggling with unsafe water sources.

In a WhatsApp interview, Joshua explained that the water situation in Abakaliki and surrounding areas is affected by the nature of the soil in the region, which often makes available water salty and unsuitable for drinking.

He said that in many communities, residents have no alternative and are forced to depend on water that is not properly treated, which affects both health and daily living.

According to him, the available water has an unusual taste, and this makes it unsafe for direct consumption.

He warned that continuous use of such water exposes people to different health challenges.

Mr. Joshua noted that many families end up spending more money on hospital treatment due to illness linked to unsafe water, which adds more pressure to already difficult living conditions.

He suggested that piped water could still be used for cooking since boiling helps improve safety, but stressed that drinking water should come from properly treated sources or reliable boreholes.

He also raised concern about poor maintenance of water storage facilities in some areas, saying that tanks and collection points are often not properly cleaned, allowing dirt and other contaminants to enter the water supply.

He added that in several rural communities, water points are surrounded by poor sanitation, including overgrown grass and waste, which increases the risk of contamination.

He further explained that improving access to clean water would not only reduce health problems but also improve productivity, as people would spend less time and money dealing with preventable illness.

He urged the government to treat clean water as a basic necessity rather than an optional service, saying it should be a priority in both rural and urban development plans.

“Water is life, and without safe water, people cannot live healthy or productive lives,” he said.