It's no longer news that the dry season has returned and with it acute water scarcity for residents in many parts of Benue State.
Our correspondent reports that the dry season, which brings an all-too-familiar challenge for residents of the state, is more worrisome this year due to its unusually early arrival.
Across many communities, even in Makurdi, the state capital, young women and girls can be seen carrying bowls and containers, and trekking long distances in search of water. Wells have run dry, and access to supplies from the state water board remains irregular, compounding the plight of the people.
In Nyon, a suburb of Makurdi, Msendo Alahga, a mother of two, lamented the worsening water shortage in her area. "There are no water board pipes here, so we rely on wells, but ours dried up earlier than usual this year.
"The rains stopped abruptly in November, and now we are struggling to meet our daily needs," she lamented.
For many families like Alahga's, the situation is dire. The early onset of the dry season has left residents worried about how they will cope until the anticipated rains return in April 2025. The lack of clean water also raises concerns about hygiene and sanitation, further amplifying the hardship faced by Benue citizens.
Tina Igede's case seemed better as her residence in the Police barracks gave her an edge.
"We have water. The water board could supply us water for three or more days without ceasing, but sometimes, they don't supply for a whole week, so we rely on neighbouring boreholes or deep hand-dug wells for our water needs," she said.
However, Etum Igoche, a resident of Otukpo, shared a different perspective, as in her Eupi community, the water scarcity is already hitting hard. Wells are drying up, forcing residents to either walk long distances to fetch water or pay exorbitant prices to buy from vendors.
"Water scarcity has become a perennial problem in Otukpo. What we do here mostly is to store rainwater in tanks during the rainy season so we can depend on it when the dry season sets in. But, this year's dry season caught us unawares. Just when we thought it would rain three or more times, at least, it ceased," she said.
Interestingly, many of the affected residents attributed the early cessation of rainfall to the effects of climate change as efforts to address the water crisis in the state remain insufficient, leaving many to fend for themselves in the face of the annual challenge.
To this end, the civil society organisations (CSOs) in the state have called for actionable strategies to support women and girls who are disproportionately affected by climate change.
At a coordination meeting in Makurdi last week themed 'Climate Change, Women and Girls, and Gender-Based Violence,' the participants examined the heightened risks climate change poses to women and girls, highlighted policy gaps and proposed targeted interventions.
The discussions centred on practical measures to mitigate the challenges while addressing climate-induced crises as they pinpoint different locations in the state where lack of water had become a burden to the inhabitants.
Participants at the meeting, organised by Elim Christian Vocational Training Centre with funding from the European Union and Christian Blind Mission (CBM), highlighted that in some parts of the state, girls can no longer attend school as they must leave early to fetch water and firewood for their families.
They also pointed out how drought and farmer-herder crises have displaced many, forcing women and girls to trek long distances for water, exposing them to risks such as attacks, rape, and violence at water points while stressing that the scarcity of water and fuel often triggered domestic violence, forced marriages, and the exploitation of women, among other challenges.
Elim Project Coordinator, Rachel Achimba, pointed out the need to raise awareness on the climate-smart agriculture policy and finalise the development of the climate change policy for domestication in the state.
Achimba noted the importance of integrating climate-resilient strategies into programmes and collaborating with local leaders, governments, and donors to strengthen interventions like awareness campaigns and resource mobilisation for displaced women and girls.
Relatedly, the Benue State Commissioner for Water Resources, Environment and Climate Change, Odoh Ugwu, has observed that the near absence of water and sanitation continues to pose challenges for residents in the state.
Ugwu made the observation during the inauguration of the Benue State Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Sector Reform Steering Committee in Makurdi, the state capital.
He said as part of the efforts of the Governor Hyacinth Alia-led administration to provide residents of the state with access to safe water and adequate sanitation, the state government initiated WASH sector reforms to provide the enabling environment and catalyse the needed investment for sustainable and equitable water and sanitation services improvement in the state.
The commissioner expressed the concern of the state government noting that, "the near absence of water and sanitation services has presented several challenges to Benue citizens with a devastating effect on those living in urban and small towns areas."
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Ugwu decried the long period of neglect of the water and sanitation sector by previous governments, leading to a huge infrastructure deficit and complete absence of services.
"This situation has caused citizens to spend more on alternative and unsafe water sources exacerbating poverty, ill-health and underdevelopment."
He reiterated the commitment of the Alia administration to the provision of improved water and adequate sanitation for the citizens as it is critical to improving the health of the people and fostering development while striving to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Meanwhile, Governor Hyacinth Alia in his over N550 billion budget presentation to the state assembly, stated that, "In the construction of critical infrastructure, we will strengthen Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) activities, implement land reforms, enhance housing service delivery, sustain our "Project Light-Up Makurdi" initiative, and construct drainage systems and waterways.
"These activities are expected to gulp 20 per cent of the 2025 total budget."
