Water scarcity persists in Kano, worsens residents’ living conditions

The residents of Kano metropolis lament the persistent water scarcity they are presently facing, which has made life unbearable for them.

According to an investigation by the Correspondent Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), there is an indication that the acute water shortage is worsening the living conditions of the people as they are already grappling with other challenges.

The investigation further revealed that among the challenges residents are facing include poverty, inflation, hunger, and starvation, which have made them more vulnerable.

It was also revealed that the areas worst hit by the scarcity include Dala, Fagge, Gwale, Kano Municipal, Kumbotso, Tarauni, Nassarawa, and Ungogo, whose residents largely depend on supply from the State Water Board, boreholes drilled by the government and philanthropists, as well as water vendors.

Due to the scarcity, the water vendors are capitalizing on the desperate situation to sell their commodity at between N150 and N200 per 25-litre jerry can, as against N50 or N80 before, which many of the residents describe as “prohibitive.”

However, speaking with residents of the state on the water scarcity, Hajiya Zenabu Ibrahim described it as “debilitating,” as it has worsened their living conditions and increased the pressure on their scarce resources.

While Alhaji Muhammad Yola, who lives in Kurmawa quarters in Kano municipal, told our Correspondent that he spends about N1,500 daily to buy water for his family’s domestic needs.

“I am not supposed to spend my hard-earned money on water since there is a government in power which is supposed to supply me with the commodity, but I am constrained to resort to this self-help since the government water is not forthcoming,” Danladi lamented.

Another affected resident, Isiyaku Ilu, also bemoaned the acute water scarcity, which he said is making life difficult for him, as he traverses long distances looking for water for domestic use.

Ilu, who resides in Kumbotso area, said he sets out every morning looking for government boreholes or outlets provided by individuals from where to fetch water, as he cannot afford to buy the commodity from water vendors.

“This routine is traumatic for me because I sacrifice many hours looking for water, hours that I should spend finding money for my family’s upkeep,” he said.

For Sule Garba, a washerman, the situation is also precarious as he spends about N5,000 daily on water with which he washes his customers’ clothes.

Garba, who is a resident of Tarauni area, said the high price of water caused by the scarcity has increased his production costs, making it difficult for him to break even.

“It is not only water I use to wash my customers’ clothes; I also use detergents, soap, and starch whose prices have also gone up. But water is ordinarily supposed to be cheaper; unfortunately, it is not, hence my predicament,” he said.

All the respondents urged the State Government to intensify efforts to address the grueling scarcity so as to “alleviate the trauma we are going through.”

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It will be recalled that the state Commissioner for Water Resources, Ali Haruna Makoda, recently said that the State Government was working round the clock to ensure the availability of water in the metropolitan local governments.

“We are working tirelessly to fix the prevailing water scarcity in the state capital and its environs, and in a couple of days, the problem will be over,” the commissioner said.

Makoda blamed the challenge largely on obsolete equipment, especially at the Tamburawa Water Treatment Plant, which supplies water to most of Kano metropolis.