While the Federal Capital Territory is often seen as a symbol of modern development, the Chatti community in Kuje Area Council remains trapped in a century-long water crisis.
For over 100 years, more than 7,500 residents including the elderly, children, and pregnant women have been forced to rely on a muddy, contaminated stream shared with cattle and reptiles as their only source of water.
The public accountability organization Tracka recently raised the alarm, calling on FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to address the dire lack of basic infrastructure in the area.
A Daily Struggle for Survival
The search for water in Chatti is a grueling ritual that begins long before dawn. Residents must navigate the risks of sharing a primary water source with wandering livestock, which frequently leave the supply turbid and unsafe for human consumption.
The physical toll is particularly heavy on the community’s most vulnerable members, who have no other choice but to consume the polluted water. Despite the high risks of waterborne diseases, the community remains isolated from the modern amenities enjoyed by their neighbors in the capital city.
Voices from the Stream
For the women of Chatti, the water crisis is a matter of daily survival that dictates their physical health and family well-being. Mrs. James, a pregnant resident, described the desperation of the situation.
“I have to get to the stream by 5:00 am just to get water for my family,” she shared. “This is water that is often polluted by cattle and unsafe, but I have no other options.“
A Total Systemic Collapse
The lack of potable water is only the beginning of Chatti’s hardships. Investigations into the community’s welfare reveal a total absence of basic infrastructure; there is no functional health facility to treat the sick and no school to provide an education for the youth.
Activists are now demanding that the government facilitate the immediate provision of boreholes, healthcare centers, and schools. They argue that after a century of neglect, it is time to bring the 7,500 residents of Chatti out of a primitive struggle for survival and into the benefits of modern governance.
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