The activities of mining companies have led to water pollution, and the community's health facilities and schools are in deplorable state, thereby compounding the residents' hardships.
Dalita Maje, a small mining community in Dobi Ward, Gwagwalada, located on the outskirts of Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, is facing a dire environmental and public health crisis.
The activities of mining companies have led to water pollution, and the community's health facilities and schools are in deplorable state, thereby compounding the residents' hardships.
Dalita (Maje) and some other communities in Dobi Ward have relied on a local river for daily water needs but their source of water is being contaminated by miners.
The pollution has rendered the water unsafe for drinking, cooking, and bathing, causing widespread concern among the community members.
Recall SaharaReporters had reported that hundreds of students in Abuja communities are learning under different poor conditions including sitting on bare floors to leaning under trees.
This situation is the same with LEA Primary School, Dalita Maje, Dobi.
A community member who confirmed the situation of the community to SaharaReporters said pupils in the school learn while sitting on the floor due to a lack of chairs and tables.
He also lamented that the health clinic intended to serve the medical needs of over 5000 residents, is in a deplorable state.
With crumbling walls, a leaking roof, and a severe shortage of medical supplies, the facility is struggling to cope and being managed by a resident.
He said, “Many students have stopped attending the school because they sit on the floor and are always drenched in the classroom whenever it rains.
“We want the government to help us because many of the pupils are now drop-out.
“Also, our health clinic lacks the basic drugs needed to treat the people. The state of the hospital is bad, we don’t even have a nurse or doctor, and an individual is managing the clinic.
“The influx of patients due to waterborne diseases and we urgently need government intervention and support.”
Aside from the degrading state of education and health facilities in the community, residents also suffer from water pollution.
"The water situation is terrible," said another resident of Dalita Maje. "The colour is bad, and it doesn't taste right. But we have no choice; we use it for everything – cooking, drinking, washing."
The pollution is believed to have originated from nearby mining activities, which have been releasing toxic chemicals into the community's water sources.
The community's water boreholes, which were once a reliable source of clean water, are now also contaminated.
Condemning the pitiful state of the community, Ilevbaoje Uadamen, Founder of Monitng, urged the government to enforce stricter regulations on mining operations and ensure that these companies are held accountable for the environmental damage they cause.
He said, “These are parts of the challenges that most rural communities face because most traditional rulers tend to benefit from things like this while the communities suffer.
“The government should pay more attention to the plights of the people and provide standard schools and upgrade the health facility in the community.
“We also want the government to check the activities of these miners and ensure they don’t pollute the community while ensuring their activities are done as stipulated by international standards.”
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