By Muhammad Aminu
Kano Metropolitan local governments remain in perpetual acute shortage of water supply despite budgeting 12 billion Naira for water supply in the last two years by the State Government.
In 2021 and 2022 budgetary allocations, Kano State Government earmarked six bn each fiscal year for the Kano State Ministry of Water Resources for its activities, including tackling water shortage in the state.
However, residents of different communities in Dala, Fagge, Gwale, Kano Municipal, Nasarawa, Tarauni and Ungogo Local Government Areas continue to face acute water scarcity as Kano State Water board could not meet up with the city’s water demand amid excruciating heat waves that require plentiful water to survive.
Many residential areas visited by The Daily Reality reporter remain at the mercy of water vendors, who are the leading suppliers of water for household consumption and daily need in the ancient city.
A resident of Fagge, Kabiru Sani, said that water had become a scarce resource that they use consciously to save themselves from the difficulty of sourcing it. “We are really suffering from lack of water. So we now use boreholes, and some good Samaritans that have boreholes in their houses often connect it to walls outside their houses so that their neighbours can access.”
Unlike Kabiru’s area, Abubakar Adam said their primary source of water supply is water vendors who supply them with water and some time. “We buy a 25-litre jerry-can at the rate of N50 on normal occasions, but when things are terrible, we buy the same jerry-can for ₦100.”
Ja’afar Musa said in their area, around Tal’udu, sometimes they get water at the mercy of good samaritans who supply them water in water tankers to ease off their suffering.
In the Dorayi Karama area, Haruna Bala told The Daily Reality that water vendors are their “Steady and reliable water suppliers.” Tap water comes to us sometimes once a month. The only well close to my house, which we abandoned, come to our rescue, but it cannot provide sufficient water to the neighbourhood.”
Other areas in the inner part of the commercial nerve centre of northern Nigeria, such as Tal’udu, Mandawari, Fagge, and Sabon Titi, often get respite from water tankers that supply water to the areas by good spirited individuals and, on some rare occasions, by the government.
In Dan Agundi, people resorted to fetching water to their houses from nearby mosques that make water provisions for worshippers to perform ablution.
“I once bought a 20-jerry-can cart of water from the vendors at ₦2000 because there was no electricity and not many water vendors then,” said Kabiru Idris of Kofar Nasarawa in Kano city.
Generally, the water supply problem cuts across all nooks and crannies of Kano with a varying effects from one location to another.
Some water vendors who spoke to The Daily Reality said they are also affected by the erratic power supply that makes it challenging to have a constant price for their supplies.
Rabiu Hussaini said he supplied a cart of 20-jerry-can for ₦1000, “I sell one jerry-can ₦50, but when there is no light sometimes, I sell more than that up to 100 per one because where we buy the water from also increase the price.”
He added that “We used to pay N70-100 per cart with 18 or 20 jerry-cans, but now we pay 120 – 200 to get water from the managers.”
Mohammed Sani, who survives on his water vending business, said they are finding things hard despite their crucial work of serving the water supply needs of the residents. He lamented that “We use our energy to do the work. We buy water from boreholes or tank owners before supplying it to the people. Then, we hire the cart, and we pay a tax of ₦50 daily.”
For Sunusi Idris, whose sole essence of leaving home to live in Kano City is working and gathering some money for his family’s needs. “I make a maximum of ₦5000 on a good day, but sometimes I make just ₦2000 a day.”
The vendors, however, complain that apart from the tax they pay, police and KAROTA officials charge them fines for any slightest misdemeanour.
This is coming despite Kano State Government’s yearly pronouncements and allocations to provide the state with adequate, portable drinking water.
Earlier during budget defence and presentation, the then Kano State Commissioner for Water Resources, Sadik Wali, said six bn was budgeted for the Ministry in 2022 in addition to loans secured from France and support from donors.
Sadik Wali told the press that Tamburawa and Challawa Water Treatment Plants were to be rehabilitated. “Our major focus is the provision of portable water supply, especially in the face of health challenges recorded in the state and also rehabilitation of our existing infrastructure….”
The Commissioner further said that “Tamburawa Water Treatment Plant has a capacity of 120 million litres per day while Challawa Water Treatment Plant has a capacity of 90-120 litres per day.”
He acknowledged that they are only running the plants at 40 – 70 per cent capacity subject to availability or otherwise of energy through electricity or generating set.
Kano State Water Board Managing Director, Dr Garba Kofar Wambai, earlier apologised to the residents over the inability of the board to supply water to the people.
The Daily Reality could not find any response from the Kano State Ministry of Water Resources for the lingering water problem in the state as the Commissioner for water resources, Sadiq Wali, resigned his position in March to pursue his gubernatorial ambition.
