Residents of Karmo and Idu battle worsening water scarcity as supply outage enters one week.

By Ekuson Nw’Ogbunka ,Abuja

Residents of Karmo and Idu, communities hosting the Idu Industrial Area in the Federal Capital Territory, have continued to face severe water scarcity for nearly one week, a situation that has disrupted daily activities and heightened concerns over sanitation and public health.

Reports gathered on Saturday revealed that pipe-borne water supply to the two communities has been completely cut off, leaving many households without access to the public water network. As a result, residents have resorted to alternative water sources, often at high cost.
The development has exposed the gap between residents who own private boreholes and those who do not. Families with boreholes still enjoy steady access to water, while others depend on commercial water vendors or travel long distances in search of water.

Residents lamented that the rising cost of water has further worsened the economic burden on families already struggling with increasing living expenses in Abuja. Many households disclosed that a large part of their daily income is now being spent on water for domestic use.
The impact of the scarcity is said to be more severe in Karmo, where the population is larger and reliance on public water supply is high. Traders, business operators, and residents in the area say the shortage has negatively affected their daily operations.
Idu, despite being home to a major industrial hub, has also been seriously affected by the disruption. Residents noted that the presence of the industrial area has not translated into improved social amenities, especially regular water supply.
Attempts to obtain an official response from the FCT Water Board regarding the cause of the outage and possible restoration date were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report. Residents said no official communication had been provided concerning the disruption.
With uncertainty surrounding the restoration of supply, residents are appealing to the FCT Administration to urgently intervene to prevent a possible public health emergency. They warned that prolonged water scarcity could worsen sanitation conditions and increase the spread of waterborne diseases in the affected communities.