Acute water scarcity hits Kubwa
2 killed as vehicles collide at Aseni village Nutrition intervention crucial in managing HIV/AIDS – Expert
esidents of Kubwa in Bwari Area Council have suffered untold hardship following the scarcity of water that hit the area two days ago.
The management of Water Board had announced a temporal seizure of water supply in some towns in the FCT including Kubwa from April 1 to 4 to enable it repair some technical challenges in the system.
Many residents were seen trekking distances with their jerry cans and other containers in search for water in public institutions and other places where there are boreholes. Two persons were trapped to death while three others sustained serious injuries on Tuesday night after two vehicles rammed into each another near Aseni village, on the Abuja-Lokoja expressway.
A witness said the accident happened around 11:12 p.m. when the driver of an unmarked J5 Peugeot bus lost control and collided with another bus with registration number XC 518 LND.
He said one of the drivers overtook another vehicle dangerously and in the processes collided with other bus coming from the opposite direction.
“The other bus driver was on speed when he overtook another vehicle not knowing that there is a diversion and the other bus which was also on high speed rammed into him,’’ he narrated.
He said the two drivers died after they were trapped by their cars’ steering wheels, saying some residents of the village removed their corpses before the arrival of men of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) from
Some of the residents, who spoke to City News, complained that they were taken unawares by the ugly situation as they did not hear the announcement over the radio.
“We could have retained some water in our houses if we were duly informed. As I speak with you now, we don’t have a single Gegu town.
Effort to get reaction of the Gegu unit commander of the FRSC over the accident was not successful, as his phone could not be reached, but an official confirmed the incident.
He said the two corpses have been deposited at the Federal Medical Centre in Lokoja, while those victims were taken to a private clinic in the area.
In another incident, four persons sustained injuries in another motor accident which occurred on Wednesday afternoon at Gumbo junction, on the Abuja-Lokoja expressway.
A witness said the accident happened when a Golf car with registration number AD 937 RBC loss control and crashed into a ditch after a tyre burst.
“The four injured victims including the driver were taken to the hospital by FRSC officials,’’ he said.
When contacted, Yangoji unit commander of the FRSC, Assistant Corps Commander Jeremiah M. Fada, confirmed the accident, saying those injured were taken to Kwali General Hospital. drop of water in the house,” decried, a resident who identified herself as Udeme.
Another resident, Uche Ogbonna, a dry-cleaner expressed dismay over the long duration the situation would last, saying it would adversely affect his business.
“Do they need to spend that Mrs Yemisi Olowookere, a nutritionist with Garki General Hospital, Abuja, said nutrition intervention was very crucial in the management and better quality life of HIV/ AIDS patients.
Olowookere said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
She said good nutrition would help improve the immune function, response to treatment and help infected persons live a more productive life.
``An estimated 35 million people are living with HIV/AIDS worldwide and occurring mainly in the sub-Saharan African countries.
``However, adequate nutrition is needed as a measure for one to stay healthy, prevent disease and speed up recovery from illness,’’ she said.
According to the nutritionist, the most common symptoms of HIV reported in 95 per cent of all patients with advanced disease include loss of muscle tissue and body fat.
Others are vitamin and mineral deficiencies, reduced immune function and competence, and increased susceptibility to secondary infections.
She said reduced food intake and increased long period before they could fix the problem? They just want residents to suffer unnecessarily,” he lamented.
They appealed to the authorities concerned to use other media platforms to inform the public on its plans to withdraw its services as not everybody listens to the radio always. loss of nutritional food could lead to rapid HIV progression.
The expert said the objective of nutritional management was to maintain body weight and prevent loss of muscle mass.
She said that in maintaining a maximum functioning of the immune system, patients could improve eating habits and build essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, important antioxidant nutrient.
Olowookere stressed that nutritional deficiency could lead to sores in the mouth and throat, constipation, weight loss, diabetes and cardiovascular disease among others.
The nutritionist recommended consumption of good mixed diet that comprises adequate amount of all basic food nutrients for a healthy life.
Olowookere said basic dietary meals to be consumed for a more productive life includes cereals and grains such as yam, rice, wheat as well as legumes like beans, groundnuts and nuts.
Others are milk and meat products such as fish, egg, yoghurt, beef as well as fruits and vegetables. (NAN)