The recent water scarcity crisis in Yobe State has drawn strong concerns from the Network of Yobe State Civil Society Organizations (NYCSOs), as thousands of citizens in major cities and towns continue to be affected.
Expressing their worries, the Executive Director/Chairman of NYCSO, Alhaji Baba Shehu, highlighted how the lack of potable water has brought hardships to communities, posing risks to public health and worsening existing socio-economic issues, especially in Damaturu, the state capital, over the last two months.
Pointing out that power outages may have played a part in the crisis, Shehu emphasized that the government still holds the responsibility of ensuring uninterrupted access to essential needs like water, especially during severe economic hardships.
Despite the government’s promise to increase diesel supply to power public boreholes in the city, the CSOs observed with disappointment that many public boreholes are not delivering water to residents, intensifying the scarcity.
Highlighting the obligation of governments to provide citizens with essential services, the CSOs stressed that access to clean drinking water is a basic human right that cannot be overlooked, urging immediate action from authorities.
Calling on the Yobe State Government to take urgent steps, the CSOs recommended short and long-term measures to ease citizens’ suffering, including emergency water supply through tankers to severely affected areas and expediting the completion of the Damaturu Regional Water Supply Project.