- Residents of Katsina state are currently experiencing serious difficulties getting water
- Across the state, millions of Katsina residents have been grappling with water shortages in the past few weeks
- Some say Katsina metro is facing the worst portable water shortage in its history so far
A report by Daily Trust has highlighted how millions of Katsina state residents have been grappling with water shortages in the past few weeks.
According to the report, residents of the north-west state are currently experiencing serious difficulties getting water.
Some of the residents interviewed, say Katsina metro is facing the worst portable water shortage in its history so far.
For Malam Halilu Mohammed and his family, acute water shortage and the heat have made life unbearable at his Kofar Kaura Layout residence in Katsina metropolis.
Mohammed says every day he buys a cart from water vendors for N300, which his family uses for cooking and other house chores.
He said the pipes in his house have been rusted, because the state water board hasn’t supplied a drop of water in the last four years since he moved in, after he was transferred to the state.
READ ALSO: Details of Bill Gates’ telephone conversation with President Buhari revealed
For Lawal Saidu of Sabuwar Unguwa, hee said water is hard to come by in his area as he has to buy water twice daily. According to him, if one tries to calculate the cost in a year, it would be quite significant.
Saidu said as at last week, he bought a cart for N500 because the demand was high, noting that this week he was happy to buy at N350.
He said the situation is so bad that even Almajiris now beg for water to drink from residents.
“They knock and ask for water please. The temperature is too high close to 41 degrees,” he said.
For Muhammad Danjuma Katsina who resides at Tafawa Balewa Way, Kofar Kwaya, in the past 17 years, he has not witnessed a situation like this.
“I was opportuned to be living in an area where a large pipe passes through that supplied us water. But in the last one month it has been terrible,” he said.
He said a gallon of water sells for N80 in some areas, noting that not many can afford such and coupled with the heat, the need for water is high.
“Katsina metro is facing the worst portable water shortage in its history so far,” he added.
In the void, borehole drillers are making a killing by charging between N300,000 to N500,000 for residential and commercial boreholes. People now contribute to build a borehole and share amongst their houses for steady water supply.
In 2015, the state government commissioned a committee on water resources and its findings showed that the metropolis has a water requirement of 115,000 MCM but only 50,000 MCM is being made available to over four million residents.
Katsina metropolis and other parts of the state, according to the report, falls below the 10 percent of the World Health Organisation’s standard of 300 litres per day per individual.
Other findings showed that at present the ground water sources are estimated to be 30.3 MCM while the current requirement is about 80 MCM which is increasing to 138 MCM by the year 2020. This forecasts inadequate ground water resources in comparison to the sustainable potential resources of 642MCM.
Managing director of the State Water Board, Babangida Abubakar, says regular water supply to the residents of Katsina metropolis will resume after installation of new pumping machines at Ajiwa Dam.
Abubakar said government decided to replace the old pumping machines with new ones to ensure constant water supply to the residents.
“The pumps were installed for over 10 years, they are now giving us problems, anytime we repair them, they will last for only two to three days because they cannot supply enough water to Katsina metropolis due to increasing population.
“People should bear with us, as the government is taking measures to address the situation.
“As I am speaking to you, the government has already ordered for new and effective pumping machines from Germany. We are expecting their arrival in Lagos,” he said.
READ ALSO: Foreign journalist laments the state of Lagos-Badagry road, says it can shorten lifespan
Other steps taken by the government to address the situation are the expected commencement of water supply from the Zobe Dam.
Meanwhile, the African continent’s biggest solar panel factory is set to berth in Borno state in the north-east region of Nigeria.
The massive project is intended to set the stage for the industrialisation of Borno and also geared towards kick-starting the economy of the state ravaged by a decade-long insurgency.
NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better
Fashola EXCLUSIVE Interview: How Nigeria Can Have Uninterrupted Power Supply| Legit TV
Source: Legit.ng
