Kakunka 1, also known as Adizagina, is a quiet farming community located in Jengre Town, within Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, about 50 kilometres from Jos, the state capital.
The Plateau community is regarded as one of the food-producing areas of the state, with about 95 per cent of its residents engaged in farming as their primary means of livelihood.
However, beneath its calm appearance lies a harsh reality, as residents are forced to live under extremely poor conditions, worsened by severe water scarcity.
During the dry season, villagers in Plateau rely on a muddy pond shared with animals and livestock, exposing them to various health risks.
A visit to the community revealed a distressing situation where women and children wake as early as 3 a.m. to fetch water, only to return with contaminated supplies that often lead to illness. With no alternatives, they are left with no choice but to use the unsafe water.
Water scarcity has become a major issue across Plateau State, impacting public health, food security, economic activities, and environmental sustainability. Despite efforts by the state water board, the situation remains critical, particularly in Jos North and Bassa Local Government Areas.
For residents of Kakunka 1 of Plateau, the hardship is even more severe, as they have endured decades of neglect without meaningful intervention.
Many locals lament that politicians often make grand promises during election periods but fail to deliver once in office.
Speaking on the crisis, the village head of Kakunka 1, Ogomo Galadima Langidu, expressed deep concern over the suffering of his people and appealed to the government and relevant authorities for urgent assistance.
“We are happy that people out there are aware of what we have been going through in this community and we want to thank your organization for coming to witness this situation.
“We have been suffering from this water scarcity for so many years and many of our people have died from water-borne diseases.
“We share that pond with cows and other animals because we don’t have any choice.
“I pray that as you people take our cries to the public, help will come our way. We are grateful to you people,” he said.
The women leader in Plateau, Mrs. Mary Samaila, also decried the pathetic condition the people, especially women and children, have been made to go through as a result of the water scarcity which she said has reduced the dignity of women in the community.
“I am the women leader of this Adizagina community and I must say that our people, especially women and children, have been going through tough times as a result of the water scarcity. It is not something to be proud of.
“Thank God you have seen the situation with your eyes. You can only be here to see things for yourself because seeing is believing.
“We are begging the government to come to our aid. The water we drink and cook with is not good for human consumption. We are really suffering from this water problem. Our children fall sick as a result.
“On behalf of the women of Adizagina, I want to thank you for coming to see what we are going through and we pray that the government should see this and come to our assistance.
“Once again, I want to thank you for coming and taking our plight to the outside world,” she stated.
A community leader, Mr Dauda Yamma, also narrated the plight of the community.
According to him, “As an elder who has lived in Adizagina all my life, I can only say that it is by the grace of God that some of us are still alive because the water we drink and cook with is not safe for human consumption. We share the water with cows and other animals and that is risky to our health.
“We have pleaded with the government to come to our help on the water scarcity but all our pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
“But we are happy with your coming because I believe if the right people see this, they will swing into action and come to our aid.”
The youth leader of Kakunka 1, Emmanuel Mathias, also expressed his dismay at the neglect the village has suffered in the hands of successive governments over the years.
“As a youth leader in this community, I must say that what our people have been going through as a result of the water scarcity is quite pathetic.
“For one, where we go to fetch water is so far from the village and the condition of the pond is so bad that we do not know what goes into the water.
“Animals go to the pond to muddy it up and we don’t know what kind of diseases we are exposed to by drinking and cooking with the water.
“We are calling on the government to come and help us by giving us water because water is life.
“We are really in dire need of assistance in terms of water and other basic amenities that will make life meaningful. This will also help our women who trek for several kilometers to get water which is not even good for human consumption,” he lamented.
Another aggrieved youth leader in Kakunka 1, Kenneth Samson,
while narrating what the people go through every year as a result of the water scarcity, said the situation had become so distressful for the community that they often wondered if they were indeed part of Plateau State.
“I wish I was exaggerating. I wish this was just a bad story. But it’s real,” Samson said.
He addedL “No clean drinking water. No electricity. No clinic in 2026. Children here wake up every morning and drink from an open stream, the same stream cows step into and drink from. That water is their only option. No filter. No borehole. No alternative. Just survival.
“Imagine giving that water to your own child. Imagine your mother being sick with no clinic to run to. Imagine living your entire life in darkness and being told this is normal. It’s not normal. It’s painful.
“What breaks me the most is that this community is not invisible on paper. They have leaders. They vote. There is a Chairman. There are representatives. There is a Senator. Yet the people here are still begging for the most basic thing; every human deserves clean water and healthcare.
“This is not about politics anymore. This is about dignity.
“This is about human lives quietly suffering where no camera usually looks. My people endure every single day because silence has kept them here for too long. And nobody deserves to suffer like this in 2026.
“From all indications, the situation demands urgent attention, transparency, and concrete solutions as anything short of that would be an abdication of duty.
“What hurts the most is that this is not new. It has been like this for years. Every single year, the people suffer in silence. No rescue. No intervention. No lasting solution.
“The only place they managed to see water is this small muddy hole close to the river and it’s not even near their homes.
“During the rainy season, they manage with the river. But once the dry season comes, that small muddy hole becomes their only option, the river dries up.”
According to Samson, the water crisis in Kakunka 1 is a ticking time bomb that requires immediate attention and the authorities concerned must act swiftly to address the situation without further delay.
He noted that an outbreak of an epidemic would be disastrous as the whole village could be wiped out within days.
Another youth, Timothy Malinson, who spoke with our correspondent, said having safe, clean and healthy drinking water had become a luxury many can barely afford.
He said, “We have cried out to the government; we have appealed to our councilors and local government chairmen over the years but nobody cares about us and our plight. We have lost our relatives due to waterborne diseases.
‘Getting clean and safe water to drink and cook in Kakunka 1 is a luxury only a few can afford.
“What did our people do to deserve this from the Plateau State government?
“We voted for them, we pay our taxes and yet, we don’t get to enjoy the basic amenities. For how long will we continue to suffer like this?”
For Mrs. Paulina Ishaya, a mother of four, a combination of water scarcity, lack of adequate medical facilities and lack of electricity have impacted negatively on the people of Kakunta 1 community.
“I was born and brought up here in Kakunta 1 and I am married here, which means I have been stuck here all my life. What we have been facing in this community is better experienced than imagined.
“We have no water, no clinic, no light. We have to wake up as early as 3am or 4am to go to the pond in the hope of getting clean water.
“Even at that time, you are not guaranteed because others too would have gone there as well. We have lost a number of our people whenever there is an outbreak of disease due to the situation.
“But every election time, politicians will come here and make promises. They will promise to dig boreholes for us but once they win, that will be the end.
“We will not see them again till they come to campaign again. We are suffering; our children are dying. Please help us tell Gov. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang and Bassa Chairman, Dr. Joshua Riti that we are dying in Kakunta 1.”
Meanwhile, as of the time of filing this report, efforts to obtain reactions from both the local
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