Zik Hall and its Water Dilemma

By Sailor

Water situation has always been a major source of burden for the residents of Nnamdi Azikiwe hall with many now seeing it as a sought of culture of the hall. The sight of students moving to neighbouring independence hall or the opposite staff quarters to get access to water has become a common feature in Zik hall.

Although it has become a common sight, it got to its head during the first semester exam period when there was severe scarcity of water in Zik hall. This led to big discomfort for the resident students with many going as far as fetching water from Bello hall and Jaja clinic at the height of the water conundrum.

The first semester of the school session has had its memorable moments and issues that have shaped the timeframe from strike actions and various national issues that the students and the citizens of the country had to experience in anticipation of the just concluded national elections.

One of such issues which is pertinent to students in Zik hall is the Water conundrum. The water situation in Zik hall has been very intriguing in recent years, ranging from the use of a timer for pumping the water machines which most times leads to the tanks not being fully pumped and leading to the water exhausting in a short time, ultimately leading to lack of water in the hall. This situation always left a bad taste in the mouth of students who are left stranded with lack of water to do their various chores

Though the hall has numerous tanks assigned to each blocks, with over 15 tanks in total (which is arguably more than can be seen in other halls), one wonders why the problem of water should ever arise. In the recent finding, it has been said that the water level from which the hall gets it water is so low which leads to the use of timer for the pumping machines, but the use of timers do not allow for the tank to be fully pumped and this means the water level is not always at its outmost leading to it exhausting at a fast pace and leading to scarcity of water in the hall.

Adding to the shortage in water supply some of the tanks have stopped working. An example is the clean water tank at the back of A block which stopped working in the middle of semester leaving students wondering when it will be repaired. Another example is the tank adjacent to the cafeteria and directly opposite the C block which has been out of service for over a year, as it stopped working in early 2022, and yet little has been done about it to remedy the situation. Students are left to scramble for alternatives from neighbouring halls and other places to cater for their need of water supply.

The situation climaxed when the residents of D block popularly referred to as the elders block promulgated a rule to ban other students from fetching water from the tap designated for their block. Although water is supplied by a new pump machine that was donated by the hall’s alumni body, it has also unfortunately bears the ‘timer curse’. As such, the tanks don’t get full and water gets exhausted quickly.

This led the occupants of the block to bar other blocks from using it, so as to be able to serve them adequately. This rule created a sort of enmity between students of other blocks, especially the C blockites, who are directly opposite the D block, and led to altercations and complaints among students. The Hall warden will later veto the rule after it was brought to his attention, as he maintained that the water facility is for the use of everybody irrespective of their designated blocks.

The lack of electricity further compounded the situation. This lead to self-help alternative where Zikites especially D blockites had to contribute money to buy petrol for the pumping of their tank admist the fuel and water scarcity that was prevalent at the time. The state of events where students have to contribute money to provide for the basic amenities that should be available to them leaves much to be desired.

In a previous chat with the hall chairman, Morris, he lamented about water problem that has been bedeviling the hall for a longtime, seemingly admitting that it is out of the excos’ hands, as they have made the necessary complaints to the relevant authorities and yet nothing has been done to tackle the issue. He stated that the water situation is unbecoming, but ultimately succumbed to the fact that Zikites are left helpless by the lack of action from the relevant authorities saddled to cater to this problems.

As alluded to earlier, water situation has been a major problem in Zik hall for a very longtime but the recent states of events leaves much to be desired. A hall like Zik hall with its towering reputation should not constantly be facing the dilemma of water scarcity which have been bedeviling it for a longtime, so much so, that neighbouring halls use it as a form of insult and ridicule to the hall at large. One would hope that the situation of things will be arrested before physical resumption.