Gains of disaster: Gombe community where residents live on dammed flood water

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Residents of Garin Galadima, in Pindiga, Akko Local Government Area of Gombe state, have for over 40 years, depended on water sourced from flood for their daily activities. Experts, however, are warning that the unhygienic water puts the health of the residents at risk of waterborne diseases and other infections. Our correspondent, CHIMA AZUBUIKE , who visited the community reports

Water is a basic need with multiple uses for the sustenance of daily human activities. As important as water is there are still communities in the country grappling with a lack of access to clean and hygienic water.

One such community is Garin Galadima in Gombe State. The Garin Galadima community also has hamlets comprising Unguwan Malam Audu, Unguwan Malam Gambo, and Unguwan Abdu, with an estimated population of about 2,500.

Garin Galadima community yearly depends on harvested rainwater also referred to as the hard dam for survival.

The community, according to findings by our correspondent, has for the past 40 years been depending on this precarious water supply for survival. Yet, the community is now very close to the Kolmani oil field where a commercial crude oil and gas project was recently inaugurated.

A hard dam, according to experts, is artificial drilling of the earth's surface to collect water in this case flood water during rainfall.

According to findings by our correspondent, the harvested hard dam water lasts throughout the rainy period to the dry season. Residents of the community who needs it, therefore, either come to fetch or patronise those who make a living by supplying the water to homes and families in 25 liters containers.

As of last December when our Correspondent visited the hard dam, the water sourced from rainfall since September was still available for the community members to get free water.

Speaking with PUNCH HealthWise, Abdul Abdulrahman, an indigene of Garin Galadima who trades in the hard dam water said he makes a minimum of N3,000 weekly from his business. He disclosed that he supplies the water per litre at N150 with the aid of his motorcycle.

He said, "I sell water in Garin Galadima and a Jerry can go for N150. There is no specific number of people that I sell water to because water is always in high demand here. I make at least N3000 every day for this business.

"I use my bike to transport the water to Sabon Kaura, we use alum or sometimes we allow the water to go down before using it."

Speaking about the dangers of using the stagnant want, Abdulrahaman noted that he alongside other residents in the community has experienced the negative effects of consuming the water, adding, "The water causes sickness but we don't have a choice because it is the only source of water we have that is located close to our communities."

He disclosed that animals are not allowed to drink from the water because of its importance to the people, adding that the animals are fed by herders and not allowed to drink directly.

"Animals don't drink from this water if at all someone will feed the animal with the water he will have to fetch it, use a container and give it to the animals to drink," he added.

Without rainfall, no water

Another resident of Sabon Kaura, Ahmodu Sarki, told our Correspondent that some communities have packed out to other places because of the challenge of poor access to clean water.

Sarki said, "This water is gathered as a result of rainfall we call it harvested rainfall. However, after the rainy season, it often dries up. it stays for two months after rainfall. It is the water we do some of our domestic activities with it, I fetch it for my family's use."

He revealed further that the last rainfall is what the community is currently consuming from the hard dam.

"The rain that fell was towards ending of October and it usually dries before November or early November, but this time around it has stayed longer," said.

However, on the road to Garin Galadima when coming from the Pindiga community, a first-time visitor will sight tanks of pipe-borne water It was confirmed by our correspondent that these pipe-borne water tanks supply water to the town and also to private water businesses, especially to residents who don't want to drink from the open hard dam. The government-facilitated pipe-borne water is, however, free, unlike the private borehole which comes with a price. Nevertheless, these water tanks were located metres away from Garin Galadima.

Speaking further with PUNCH HealthWise, Sarki said that everyone in the community would prefer the pipe-borne water but couldn't get it because of the distance and the cost.

He said, "There is a tap we fetch in Pindiga we buy a jerrican for N20 then we transport it down to Sabon Kaura for our use. A 25-litre jerrican is 100 naira in Sabon Kaura but when it gets to Garin Galadima both the harvested rainwater and the tap water are N150 per 25 litres jerrican."

Also speaking with our correspondent, another resident, who identified herself simply as Nana from Sabon Kaura, and was seen fetching the water said the hard dam water is what all the villagers depend on for survival.

She said, "I use the water for drinking and also domestic purposes at home. I fetched it for personal use, I am not selling it."

Another resident, 40-year-old Audi Galadima, also told our correspondent that he was born and brought up in Garin Galadima, noting that it has always been difficult to access clean water in the growing community.

Galadima said, "I usually buy a jerrican of water N150 per 1 because I don't have any means of transporting it.

"Tap water is been transported by car whereas harvested rainwater is been transported by bike and is sold for N150 for both."

While urging the government to expedite action in connecting the communities to its ongoing water project to ameliorate the sufferings of residents, Galadima added that the government doing so would solve a major challenge for the residents of the community.

"I am calling on the Gombe State government to please help us and provide a good source of water for us because it is one of our major problems for now," Galadima said.

Also, a 63-year-old, Mohammadu Rabi’u, who is the chief Imam of Garin Galadima, lamented the challenges of access to clean water by residents.

According to him, access to potable water is difficult because the location of portable pipe-borne water is about about 12km from the community.

"I am a dweller of this community. One of the biggest challenges we face in this community is water, we have no access to good water and even if we do it will take us 12km to access a good source of water, for the past 40 years we have been depending on harvested rainfall for survival."

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