Solomon Ayado, Lafia
No fewer than 10 persons have reportedly died and others hospitalised following a strange water disease in Giza community of Keana Local Government Area, Nasarawa State.
Those hospitalised are receiving treatment at the Dahaltu Specialist Hospital (DASH) in Lafia town, and in a primary healthcare facility in Giza area of the state.
Saturday Sun learnt that Giza is experiencing acute water scarcity. The only source of water, a river, is infested with crocodiles. Giza, a core agrarian community solely depends on the river for water supply. The only existing manual borehole is damaged.
Usman Abu, Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Education said he lost his younger brother, Abu Sanusi, few days ago to the disease. According to him, “the deceased brother died as a result of typhoid due to bad water intake.”
Also, Azigye Abubakar Orume, a resident of Giza, who is a teacher at the Government Secondary School in the area, told our reporter in an interview, “that apart from five persons he knows personally, several others have died due to strange water related diseases.
“As I am talking with you now, we have a problem of typhoid sickness and others, and people are dying because of the bad water we are taking. About five persons, young boys I know, graduates, have died. We have one boy called The Ill, we have Abu Sanusi, popularly known as Yobo, we have one boy, called, TT; we have Abubakar Alakai; and we have Samson Ofoku and so on and so forth. These are the deceased people I can mention now.
“Others are in Lafia Specialist called, DASH. If you go to our clinic here, some are there. Our major problem in Giza is lack of water. I was born here, 35 years ago and I met the water scarcity. The only place we get water is from Giza River, but it has crocodiles and people are afraid of going there.”
The council Chairman of Keana LGA, Adamu Adi Giza confirmed the deaths in an interview with Saturday Sun in Giza town, on Friday. He said he has mobilised funds to repair the only borehole, which was damaged.
The traditional ruler, Sangari Giza, HRH Alhaji Umaru Elegu Abu II, has appealed to federal government to come to the aid of the community, provide industrial boreholes, and complete the water dam project in the area, which he said, has been abandoned for many years.