Oke Idunn, 34, resident of Asaa, Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, would wake as early as 3 am daily searching for water for her family use.
The mother of two often scrambles all the trenches dug by the men in the community to see if any would have sprung out water during the night. But most times, Idunn returns home without water, and when she is lucky to scoop a small amount, it is usually unclean.
Getting water at those odd hours is usually not without a struggle with other women who also left behind the safety of their homes in the wee hours of the day, searching for this crucial human need.
Water fetched from the ditches is little and dirty, but Idunn, as others, contents herself with her lot. Even when she attempts to purify the brown coloured water with potassium alum, the colour always remains the same, which runs contrary to the World Health Organisation’s water standard, which states that water should be colourless.
“We will go back to the ditches in the afternoon, by 1 pm, we nose across all ditches like snakes to see if there is enough water to scoop,” Idunn says.
She says it usually takes hours for women in the community to fill their buckets with such coloured water. “We will sit there and wait. We will dig it deeper atimes. If we notice the water is coming out from one source, we scoop it into our buckets and take it home, then we can take our bath, wash our dirty clothes and make pap.”
This struggle to get water for cooking and house chores makes bathing optional in most households in Asaa. During a visit by this reporter, Idunn and her two children had not had their baths for the past five days, and they were not sure that would happen any time soon.
She explains that, due to the difficulty of getting water to drink in the community, the members can stay days without taking their baths. According to her, the daily competition for water among women in the community has degenerated into an unhealthy rivalry.
At a time when personal hygiene ought to be intensified, due to the Covid-19 contagion, Idunn said she and her family are more concerned about what to eat and drink than the washing of hands. This is despite getting messages by the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) on the radio advising the public about hygiene, including regular washing of hands with soap and water as one of the essential measures against the spread of Covid-19.
“We used to hear it on the radio that we should wash our hands. Just imagine that, we have no water to drink, no water to take our bath, Mr reporter, which one would you also prioritize? God is protecting us here,” Idunn asked looking straight into the eyes of this reporter.
A water full of impurities
What Idunn did not know is that the water she and her family members are consuming is full of impurities. According to Dataphyte’s investigation of the water sample being consumed in Asaa, there is 5.5% of acid, using Formazin Turbidity Unit (FTU), 10.0% of Turbidity, 92.5% of Total Solids (ppm), 90.0 % of Dissolved Solids (ppm), among other physical characteristics in the water the women scramble to get daily.
Total solids is a measure of the suspended and dissolved solids in water. Dissolved solids are those that pass through a water filter. They include some organic materials, as well as salts, inorganic nutrients, and toxins.
Though the water is soft (ppm CaCO3 at 32.0% as against the WHO’s minimum of 30%), the Microbiology characteristics test of the Asaa water sample also revealed that there is Total Bacteria counts (cfu/ml) of 10.0 X 101 while Total Faecal Coliform (cfu/ml) stands at 1.1 X 102 .
The result stated that the health implication of the water may include corrosive tendencies, faecal contamination, urinary tract infections, bacteraemia, meningitis, diarrhoea, acute renal failure, and haemolytic anaemia.
According to Damilare Ajagbe, a microbiologist and Ph.D. student at Oklahoma State University, USA, the presence of “bacteria coliform in the drinking water is an indication that the water could contain disease-causing organisms.
The further detection of faecal coliform in this drinking water shows that it is contaminated by faeces and the risk of having disease-causing organisms (pathogen) in the water is high.
He added that the present situation in the community is a critical public health issue, and it poses a critical health risk to people drinking this water.

https://www.dataphyte.com/latest-reports/development/report-ogun-communities-drink-from-dirty-streams-struggle-with-covid-19-hygiene-measures/

The people of Ogun state need to speak with one voice and say enough is enough. How can an industrialized state like my Ogun be lacking portable water.

This is really pathetic... Can't imagine this is happening in Nigeria, where they is a President/Governor, not to mention senators, house of reps members and local council members (L.G chairmen). Help will find you soon

Ndi Enugu will be grateful to drink this water my brother, water wey be necessity of life no dey my community for 30 days in Enugu

Is this Biafra they promised us, nwanne?

Residents of Ogun state tirelessly queuing up for ordinary water to drink.

Kwara and now Ogun state


The gods are angry

Highly sophisticated I

Abeokuta residents patiently waiting for water amidst water scarcity in Ogun state.

An indigene of Ogun state fetching water from a polluted stream.

Tinubu can't even help his people

Karlovych:
Tinubu can't even help his people

Hmmm....he should be able to help out with the 30% he is collecting monthly from Lagos State monthly IGR

SlyDev:
Ndi Enugu will be grateful to drink this water my brother, water wey be necessity of life no dey my community for 30 days in Enugu

Is this Biafra they promised us, nwanne?

This is not Enugu they are talking about, this is Ogun state, the state has a former president as an indigene.

ThEGodFaThEr113:

Hmmm....he should be able to help out with the 30% he is collecting monthly from Lagos State monthly IGR

Tinubu no send anybody o

More

But the IGr and Gdp of ogun state is higher than that of Californaye and Boston put together,ijebu alone can feed Africa
Abi wetin come happen like this?

We were all scared during the early days of Covid-19 – the Baale of Asaa community
On the afternoon of Sunday, March 8, 2020, Kosolu Olajide, the Adele Baale of the Asaa community was lying calmly on a Chaise Lounges under a bamboo-made shade in front of his palace with his transistor radio as his companion.

Olajide was enjoying the local radio contents when the news broke that Ogun State had recorded a Covid-19 index case.
Dr Osagie Ehanire, the Nigerian Minister of Health had confirmed the development at a Ministerial press briefing on covid-19 at the University Teaching Hospital, (UBTH), Benin, Edo State. He, however, advised the public to stay alert and prioritise handwashing habits and use of hand sanitizer, among other preventive measures to curb the spread of the virus.

Dataphyte understood that the Ogun State index case-patient had had contact with the Italian-index case in Lagos, but had no significant clinical symptoms.
While the Minister’s advice on COVID-19 precautions should have brought some relief, Olajide, the head of an over 3,000-population Asaa community, was worried about the water scarcity in his community, since an abundant supply of water was needed for the regular hand washing that the Health Minister just proffered.

The 87-year-old community head was born in Asaa. He laments that he and his people are not enjoying anything that could be described as dividends of democracy even when they often turn out en-mass during elections.
Like Idunn and many other residents, Olajide had not had his bath for about five days..
“As you are seeing me seated, this is the 5th day I have taken my bath since I can’t find water to use. Many have died because of this lack of water,” he reveals.

Global data released in 2017 revealed that unsafe water sources, poor access to basic handwashing facilities, and unsafe sanitation are linked to 1.5 million deaths across the world yearly.

However, Olajide explained that while the whole world was looking for ways to defeat the coronavirus pandemic by washing their hands, people of his community were concerned about sourcing water to drink, take their bath and prepare food.

“It was a challenging moment for us. We were not even talking about handwashing. Our challenge was getting water to live and we are still on it till the moment you are seeing me. We were not that disturbed about the washing of hands and we are hardly doing that right now.”

The community head revealed that if they were to get pipe-borne water, they go as far as 4km to buy from Agbon Ojodu, a sister community that also suffers the same water dilemma.

“There is no water at all. We go to the Agbon community to buy water. And now that Coronavirus is disturbing the whole world, we have no water to wash our hands nor to take our bath.”

Over the years, the Asaa community members have devised a means of digging trenches, leave it for hours to spring then scoop it and use it for their day-to-day activities. But at times, they can spend days without getting anything.

SlyDev:
Ndi Enugu will be grateful to drink this water my brother, water wey be necessity of life no dey my community for 30 days in Enugu

Is this Biafra they promised us, nwanne?

dirty stream water done blind this one eye,e nor know difference between ogun and enugu

Having lived with Yoruba people and seen how they hate building toilet in their houses,my mind is telling that they will shitting into that same water too

Challenging times for menstruating women and schoolgirls

Over 12 young ladies between the ages of 12 to 16 say they often spend days without washing up while on their monthly menstruation cycle due to the water scarcity in the community.

Adenike* said she uses paper to clean up or buy a sachet of water to wash the piece of cloth she uses in place of sanitary pads, which costs some money.

According to UNICEF, poor menstrual hygiene can pose physical health risks and has been linked to reproductive and urinary tract infections.

On September 7, 2021, the State Government, through Kunle Somorin, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of the State, emphasised in a press statement that provision of Sick bays / Isolation rooms in schools, provision of face masks, infrared thermometers, adequate hand washing facilities and alcohol-based sanitisers for students and teachers in all schools; disinfection of the schools as well as suspension of the general assembly.

But for students of the only elementary school in the community must bring a small quantity of water from their respective homes to contribute to the handwashing project against Covid-19 and other infectious diseases.
One of the school teachers who spoke to Dataphyte under anonymity, due to the unavailability of the school headmaster, confirmed that students of the Community Primary School, Asaa bring water from their home to pour into the school’s handwashing basin.

The male teacher also added that students and teachers of the school opt for open defecation in the bush whenever they want to ease themselves.

Meanwhile, the only primary health care centre servicing the community is dilapidated due to years of neglect.
Even when it was nearly opened, residents say it was also faced with the challenge of water scarcity which made it as every other household relied on unclean water for its daily activities.

Oja-Odan, another community that is several kilometres away from Asaa is where residents go for health care services or find their way to Eegelu, a sister community in Benin Republic.

agadez007:
dirty stream water done blind this one eye,e nor know difference between ogun and enugu

Having lived with Yoruba people and seen how they hate building toilet in their houses,my mind is telling that they will shitting into that same water too

Hmmm.....this is serious.

agadez007:
dirty stream water done blind this one eye,e nor know difference between ogun and enugu
Having lived with Yoruba people and seen how they hate building toilet in their houses,my mind is telling that they will shitting into that same water too

You are describing Ndi Abia they do that thing and it is not good.

Let's pray for them

ThEGodFaThEr113:

Please don't derail this thread, this is about my state of origin, abeokuta in Ogun state,

Ndi Enugu my community have the same problem, infact the whole alaigbo is in need of drinkable water

My beautiful alaigbo is suffering, pray for them nwanne

Bastardlyrich:
Lord,I wish to help I don't care if they are Yoruba Muslims and I m a Christian
I will like to provide water for them
I urge yorubas christians to help also.
Pls no matter your tribe help. we are all humans first before tribe or religion.
Let's leave sophistication, humanity comes first.
Happy new year

you should provide water for your stinky people wey no get water to bath or drink in Enugu first, before talking for another people.
useless cannibal

agadez007:
I will go and buy pure water for my mum and dad in Enugu state , will I let them make oha and ogbono with that dirty stream water?

Eiii Ndi Enugu, bathing with pure water is a nice idea, odogwu you wise

No be Ndi Enugu dey steal pot of soup? may God heal Enugu, hunger and suffering too much

No source hahaha, I see lies all over the thread kikiki.

Just cos enugu billionaires can't bath cos of lack of water hahahaha

ThEGodFaThEr113:
More

I no talk am hahahahaha, that enugu thread where them no they bath pain the op that he had to lie about what did not happen hahahahaha.

OSU, have some shame na hahahahaha. We are in internet era hahahahaha

Mr OP, you don't have to bring random pictures just because you are pained that your people don't bath as reported cos of lack of water in Enugu.

Do you have to go to bring picture of Kenya woman and called it ogun hahahahaha