Over 3,000 inhabitants of Shongo Sarkin Yakki community in Gombe State have no water to drink as Water Resources Ministry has since abandoned N50 million water project in the area.
This is even as the community inhabitants that are located in the Gombe Local Government Area of the state have been without water for over decades.
To address the challenge, the Government in 2021 allocated the sum of N50 million for the construction and provision of water for the inhabitants. A move that has since failed to achieve the desired result.
When the contractor that is handling the project moved to the site, the community inhabitants were happy with the hope that their suffering of non-availability of water will come to an end.
Tracka, a public accountability organization that was in the community to follow up on the project that is been implemented by the Upper Benue River Basin Development Agency under the supervision of the Ministry of Water Resources, says it has since been abandoned.
Community inhabitants in different narratives recounted how the contractor stormed the site with a driller, commenced work, and left without making a return.
This is even as the contractor at the beginning of the project, had a meeting with the community inhabitants on the best way to implement the project.
An action that raised their hope for the sincerity of the government to give them water and address a problem that has hit them over many decades.
The contract was awarded to Hapco Multihydro Systems under the supervision and control of Mr. Habilah Bassi, an Engineer.
When contacted, Mr. Habilah Bassi said that the drilling machine got spoilt while he is working on bringing another machine to the site to commence the work.
Worse still, the drilling machine has been left on the site for over six months, leaving the inhabitants to go through hell in search of drinking water.
Aminatu, one of the community inhabitants, narrated how they fall sick as a result of drinking dirty water. She disclosed that they have no other option but to drink the water since they have no money to buy water that sells N70 for 25 liters.
She, however, disclosed that the situation is often terrible during the dry season while pointing out that they are tired of begging the government to give them drinking water.