Residents of Sokoto and its environs are facing difficulties due to intense fuel and potable water scarcity amidst a high temperature of over 42 degrees Celsius.

The situation has caused people to live in harsh and miserable conditions in the state.

Some commercial motorcycle and tricycle riders and commuters have abandoned their businesses due to the lack of fuel.

A correspondent who monitored the situation reports that most stations were out of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol.

Few stations selling the commodity charge between N750 and N1,200 per litre, while black marketers sell the products on the streets at N2,000 a litre.

Commuters Haruna Muhammad and Jami’u Afolabi told journalists on Saturday that they bought a four-litre gallon of fuel from street hawkers for N10,000 each.

Another motorist, Abdullahi Maigidaje, said he bought a four-litre gallon of PMS at N8,500 in the morning at Illela Road, and after returning from Gwadabawa, he had no option but to buy the same quantity at N10,000.

Mr Maigidaje blamed petroleum marketers for hoarding the product, which has resulted in its scarcity and, thus, affected transportation services.

Long queues of vehicles were observed at a few filling stations across the Sokoto metropolis, signalling a scarcity of PMS.

The condition had affected transportation fares as Sokoto to Kware cost N1,300 against the old fare of N500, while Sokoto to Illela travellers pay N4,000 against N2,000.

The situation has also affected interstate transport services, which have risen by between 50 and 70 per cent from the normal fares.

On water scarcity, a cross-section of residents urged the Sokoto state government to hasten the implementation of measures announced to address the acute shortage of potable water confronting the state.

Taps have gone dry, and residents have been sourcing for water wherever available, while the government has resorted to supplying water with tankers to douse the situation.

A correspondent reports that water vendors sell a 20-litre keg between N120 and N140, complaining that they fetch the water from far places and commercial boreholes.

To assuage the situation, Yusuf Maccido, the state Commissioner for Water Resources, said on April 5 that the government had set up a committee to rehabilitate water systems.

Mr Maccido said it would overhaul all broken-down water pumping engines and ensure the dredging of 72 earth dams in the medium and long term.

The commissioner said funds had been disbursed to the committee to address the situation, adding that some water engineers and experts from Kaduna have been called in to support the state water board in repairing and rehabilitating the facilities.

According to him, three of the pumping machines in Kware are being repaired to restore the water supply to the Sokoto metropolis.

He said the government hopes that in the next three years, the issue of water scarcity will be fully addressed. 

(NAN)