Water scarcity bites harder in Asaba

SHORTAGE of potable water has hit Asaba, capital of Delta State and its environs due to the current power outage.
An average household in the capital city is finding it difficult to get water for domestic use mostly due to the fact that the private electricity generating set does not have the capacity to power the private borehole in the various homes.
Getting water from the compound of the rich is almost impossible as the entrance gates are always under lock.
It is a case of ‘water everywhere, no water to drink’ for residents along the bank of the River Niger in the capital city. But, some residents make use of the polluted water, damning the health implications.
Public taps have since dried up. Water scarcity situation in the metropolis has been exacerbated by lack of rains in the past one week.
But, if it rains, while serving as blessing to residents, it is also a curse as most roads are flooded rendering them impassible. Civil servants, however, find a lifeline as they leave their homes with jerry cans stuck in the boot of their cars to fetch water from their respective offices where bigger electricity generating sets are in constant use.
Those deployed to the Government House have added another dimension as they now wash their vehicles within the premises during office hours.
Meanwhile, Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) has blamed the power outage in Asaba and its environs on bad shape of the transformers of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), according to  BEDC Head of Public Relations in Asaba, Mrs. Esther Okolie.
She explained that the 33kv feeders have just been opened from Asaba transmission due to poor generation.
Okolie, however, assured that the situation was being monitored by BEDC and that as soon as any of the lines was powered, the electricity distribution company would restore power to the metropolis and its environs.
According to her, most of the transformers were flooded after the recent rains, and advised consumers to switch-off all electrical appliances to avoid electrocution.