BY John Odhe, YENAGOA
Access to clean, potable water is an absolute necessity for public health and community survival, yet in the Bayelsa State capital, this vital resource has become a highly placed luxury.
Across the Yenagoa metropolis, thousands of households completely rely on informal water vendors to meet their daily domestic needs.
Because public water utilities remain largely unavailable or unreliable in many areas, informal vendors stepping in with trucks and jerry cans have essentially become the primary lifelines for families.
While these vendors successfully bridge the supply gap, their operations are entirely unregulated.
This lack of oversight leaves consumers heavily exposed to arbitrary price hikes and questionable water quality.
Recently, the situation in Yenagoa has taken a troubling turn, with residents reporting that vendors are selectively choosing who to sell water to based on the highest bidder.
During peak demand or localized shortages, cart pushers and suppliers are increasingly bypassing everyday consumers to service hospitality businesses and individuals willing to pay inflated rates.
In some areas in the State capital, the vendors, majority of whom are of the northern extraction, sell a 25 litres jerry can of water for as high as N150.
Mrs. Helena Ijeoma hints that her household spends between N40,000 to N45,000 on water every month.
“I buy a twenty-five litres jerry can of water for a hundred and fifty naira and in my home, we use up to seven to ten jerry cans every.
It’s approximately forty-five thousand naira monthly,” she explains.
Another resident, who simply identifies herself as Pere-Ere says her own grouse is that she vendors are taking advantage of the shortage of the commodity to to undermine consumers.
“The worst of it all is that even with money in your hand, you keep begging these water vendors to sell you water.
You see them roll their trucks pass you with excuses such as sauch “them don buy am,” “water no dey,” and so on,” she laments.
According to her, the vendors now selectively sell water based on who pays highest.
This opportunistic selection process has sparked widespread frustration and panic among low-income households struggling to secure basic drinking and sanitation water.
As the cost of survival climbs, local community leaders especially in the State capital, are calling on the state government to urgently regulate informal vending practices and revitalize the Bayelsa State Ministry of Water Resources to guarantee equitable access for all residents.
