The multimillion-naira Abaji water plant in Abaji Area Council of the FCT has not been functioning well since it was commissioned in 2020, fuelling the present water crisis in the town.
It was built by the Abaji Area Council with the support of the Millennium Development Goals (MGDs) to address the perennial water problem, especially for residents of Abaji -low-cost housing, Abattoir, Kekeshi, Nuku and Naharati communities of the council.
The water project which started in 2011, was initiated by a former chairman of the council, Alhaji Musa Yahaya Muhammad and was constructed by China Geo- Engineering Corporation at the cost of N800 million.
The area council was said to have paid N400 million counterpart funds, the defunct MDGs' office at the FCT Administration paid the balance of N400 million for the project.
After the commissioning, residents of Abaji metropolis and neighbouring villages facing water problems thought the perennial water problem in the area might have been over.
The Ona of Abaji and chairman of the FCT council of chiefs, HRM Alhaji Adamu Baba Yunusa, had during the commissioning, appealed to the FCT Administration to shoulder the responsibility of maintaining the water project.
Abuja Metro learnt that despite the water plant, residents of the council have continued to face acute water scarcity with many still patronizing water vendors while some trek to streams to get water for domestic uses.
Cross section of the residents, who spoke with Abuja Metro, said many households don't have access to potable water in the area.
Abdullahi Aliyu, a resident of the council, said since the project was commissioned, only few households were able to access water from the plant.
He said the management of the water plant only pumps water either once or twice in a month for some households to fetch.
He said, "There was a day I personally went to the water plant where I met one of the staff and I asked him why they were not pumping water, he told me that the plant broke down."
Aliyu said the last time the water plant pumped water was over four months ago.
Another resident, Ibrahim Abubakar, said the majority of the residents no longer depend on water from the plant due to epileptic water supply to households.
He said majority of the residents now patronize private boreholes to buy water for domestic use and appealed to the authorities of the council to address the water problem in the town.
He said absence of electricity had also contributed to water problem in the metropolis, saying "There are some houses that have boreholes but they can't afford to buy fuel to pump water, except when there is electricity and that has not been stable."
Abuja Metro visited the water plant site where a staff member, who preferred anonymity, said the plant often develops faults, making it difficult to pump water.
He said, "Actually, we do pump water sometimes but the problem is that the plant often develops faults and it will take months before the area council authorities will intervene."
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According to him, the water plant had developed faults more than four times in the last two years.
An official of the works department of the council, who preferred anonymity, said efforts were ongoing to fix the plant before the end of this month to enable residents to have access to potable water.
"It is because of this kind of challenge that made the area council chairman to sink solar boreholes in some areas facing water problems," he said.
He added that in Abaji main market, opposite Yakwo hills, a new solar borehole had been constructed, including one at Unguwar Manko and some other places within the metropolis just to tackle water problems.
