Residents of Calabar, Cross River State capital, have decried the uncontrollable vandalism of water meters by hoodlums, just as they lamented over prolonged water scarcity.
Many of the consumers who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune said they had reported to the Cross River State Water Board but they were asked to pay between 10,000 to 12,000 naira to get new meter.
A consumer and victim, Ignatius Edem, who resides at Otu Street, told the Nigerian Tribune that since the beginning of the year, he had been getting estimated bills from the state water board because his meter was vandalised, claiming that he had paid 12,000 for the meter to be replaced but nothing had been done.
Edem said, “They stole our water meter in January and I went to Water Board to find out how to get a new one, to my amazement after we paid 12,000 naira till today, a new meter has not been installed ,and to add salt to injury we are paying estimated bills since then”
Another consumer, Archibong Edet, who resides at Mepple Street, Calabar South, said since the new management of Water Board took over, residents of the area had been going through unpleasant experiences due to the dirty water pumped to the area, which he said, was capable of causing typhoid and other water borne diseases.
According to him, “Since the inception of this administration, the water we get has always been brown in colour, many people only use it to have their bath, I, as a person cannot even drink it. Apart from that many houses in my area have started losing their meters to vandals and we know that a lay man who doesn’t understand the mechanism of that meter cannot steal it, the staff of Water Board must be behind this ugly trend”
Nigerian Tribune investigations revealed that more than 300 cases of water meters vandalism had been reported within the last two months and little or nothing had been done to address the situation. Due to this, the state water board is losing millions of naira because many consumers were no longer metered and, therefore, revenue could not be collected from such consumers.
Also, there have been water scarcity in Calabar metropolis for several months. Private borehole owners have seized the opportunity to make brisk business and they have increased the price of water. For instance, a 25 liters container which used to go for 10 niara is now sold at 20 naira with very long queues everyday.
Also, further findings by the Nigerian Tribune have shown that many areas in the metropolis have not had water for several months and this has created hardship for people who cannot afford portable water from private boreholes.
When Contacted the Managing Director, Cross River State Water Board Limited, Prof Godwin Igile said that meter theft and vandalism was part of the sabotage being experienced by the company in Calabar metropolis because they don’t have such challenges in other locations where they supply water.