These facts came to light at a sensitisation exercise conducted in Gwallaga, Wunti and Yan-Tifa communities of Bauchi Local Government Area by a Bauchi based NGO, Rahama Women Development Programme in partnership with USAID funded WASH Coordination Project (WCP).
A spokesman of the communities who is also the Ward head of Gwallaga, Alhaji Dandada Ahmadu also enumerated other challenges to include, low water pressure and low duration of the supply of water to consumers which he described as inadequate.
“Some of our challenges also include, pipe blockages, pipe leakages, the supply of muddy water, low frequency and unfulfilled promises of free water by politicians,” Dandada added.
Speaking during an advocacy visit to Community and Religious leaders, the Program Manager of RAHAMA, Yohanna Yisa Doko said, the sensitization was aimed at creating awareness on “consumer’s rights to access and supply of water, their responsibilities to the public utility and need for community ownership of public facilities.”
He also said that, as a result of the interaction, Fahimta alongside community representatives of the three water consumer groups that visited 300 households to educate consumers on the need to avoid wastage of water and report damage to the public water utility in their respective communities.
“The advocacy exercise gave us the opportunity to create awareness on Water usage, consumer responsibility, water consumers right, reporting water-related issues, improve consumers awareness to demand quality, reliable and equity of service from water utility,” Yisa Doko added.
In his remarks, the Coordinator of WCP in Bauchi, Engineer Soni Elisha implored community leaders to sustain the tempo of the sensitisation so as to promote understanding between water consumers and the Bauchi State water and Sewerage Corporation.
When our correspondent visited the headquarters of the State Water and Utilities Corporation for reaction on the allegations, no official was ready to comment.