Oluwafunbi Bello 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Abuja faces a looming water emergency as treatment plants struggle with depleted chemicals, power failures and reduced dam transfers, a water infrastructure expert warns.
A water management specialist, Aliyu Abubakar, raises the alarm over deteriorating conditions at facilities operated by the Federal Capital Territory Water Board on Thursday, urging Minister Nyesom Wike to intervene urgently.
“No potable water has been transferred since October 2025,” Abubakar tells journalists. “The system is operating at barely 50 percent capacity.”
He explains that regular water transfers from Gurara Dam have collapsed from monthly schedules to once a year, severely limiting supply to treatment plants serving Abuja and surrounding communities.
Abubakar also accuses SCC Nigeria Limited of unauthorised diversion of water from the Lower Usuma Dam, further straining supply meant for public distribution.
Power challenges worsen the crisis. According to him, turbines at the Lower Usuma Dam now rely on two diesel generators.
“One generator has already broken down, cutting production to below 40 percent,” he says, stressing that stable electricity is critical to water treatment operations.
“As Abuja expands, water must receive the same urgency as roads and housing,” he says.
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Mirian Gom 
Korede Abdullah 
