Water Scarcity Hits OAU As Students Resort To Fetching Water From Stream (Photo)

Students at the stream

The many students of the popular Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, have cried out over water scarcity.

The students, on Tuesday, called on the management of the institution to find solutions to the stoppage of water supply to hostels on the campus.

The students claimed that water supply to their various halls of residence was cut off on Friday.

According to them, the development has exposed them to untold hardship and they have resorted to fetching water from a stream near their hostels.

Some of the students were seeing with buckets fetching water from a stream.

A resident of the ETF Hall, who gave his name simply as Olayinka, said some buoyant students had been buying sachet water to cook and bathe, while the rest were fetching water from the stream.

He stated, “But for some of us that cannot afford sachet water for such purposes, we have been going to the stream near our hostel to get water.

“Water stopped running in our hostels last weekend. Few students, who are doing practical, are around because of COVID-19 protocols and it has been difficult getting water, because the stream is also drying off.”

The Public Relations Officer, OAU, Abiodun Olanrewaju, said the situation was being addressed by the management.

Olanrewaju explained that the university exhausted the chemical for the treatment of water and could not get replacement immediately.

He added, “We wanted to buy what we normally use to treat water, but for quite some time now, that thing had been scarce. We exhausted the one we had in our store. We have eventually found the substance and the university has bought all we can find.

“I can assure the students that from tomorrow (Wednesday), regular water supply will resume. We made arrangements for tankers to supply water to the students. We are also calling on public spirited individuals to assist us as the Federal Government cannot do it all alone.”