Acute water scarcity has gripped several communities in Jos, the Plateau State capital, which has turned access to potable water into a daily struggle for residents, creating booming business opportunities for commercial water vendors.

Vanguard reported that in areas such as Gwarandok, Tudun Wada, and Jenta Adamu, long queues form daily around the few functional commercial boreholes.

Residents, including women and children, wait for hours under the sun to fill jerry cans and buckets on a first-come, first-served basis.

According to the publication, after visitation to some affected communities, it was observed that traditional shallow wells, especially in Tudun Wada in Jos North local government, have dried up completely. This forces residents to rely on paid supplies or sometimes unhygienic alternatives.

Water vendors, popularly called “mai ruwa”, have taken advantage of the situation by hiking prices.

A jerry can of water that once cost N50 now sells for as high as N200 in some communities. This adds to the financial burden on households already grappling with economic hardship.

Blessing Damos, a resident of Tudun Wada, told our correspondent that she and her family members wake up as early as 3 am daily to struggle with others to fetch water from a slow flowing spring, facing risks such as snake bites in the process.

Noel Dogari, another resident of Tudun Wada in Jos North, lamented the ongoing water scarcity.

He said: “While it is obvious that no administration has shown regard to the infrastructural deficit in this community like Governor Caleb Mutfwang owing to his commitment to roads and water, it is not fair for homes who spend N7,000 weekly on water, adding that deliberate and actual permanent solutions to the water challenges should be considered.

“There is a dire need for very prompt attention to this challenge especially now that the people align with Governor Mutfwang anywhere he goes.”

“We urge the administration to ensure that this water scarcity does not flow into the second term bid of our Governor,” he added.

Anita Goje Benjamin, a resident of Gwarandok in Jos South Local Government Area, described the situation as tough for those with limited means.

“Sometimes I queue for long hours to get water because of the crowd, Not everybody is financially buoyant to buy water from a borehole regularly, and the situation worsens when supplies run low,” she said.

She added: “We used to have steady water supply, but the recent construction works in our community, in which our water pipes were removed to give way for the construction works has caused untold hardship to members of our community ,it’s over a year now and contractors have abandoned our road.

I urge the state government to revisit the construction works and then restore water supply to our locality.

A local drycleaner, Mr. Lanmark Ventur, who spoke to our correspondent, lamented that he spends over N12,000 weekly to buy water.

“This is seriously affecting my business because I need large volumes of water to wash customers’ clothes ,the water challenge here has reached a critical point that demands urgent government intervention,” he said.