The perennial water scarcity which defied all solutions in Kano and its environs, has continued to make life unbearable for the residents.
Investigation by our reporter showed that following the worsening water scarcity, water vendors have continued to exploit the situation by hiking their prices as a 25 litre Jerrycan goes for between N150 and N200 as against N50 and N70 before now.
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Areas affected 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.
Some of the residents who spoke on the situation, described the water scarcity as very unfortunate considering the huge amount being spent by the State on provision of water in the State.
One of the residents, Sani Ado who lives in Kano municipality, told our Correspondent that he spends about N1, 400 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-helf since the government water is not forthcoming,”Danladi lamented.
Another affected resident, Abdullahi Lawan also bemoaned the water scarcity which he said is making life difficult for him, as he travels long distances looking for water for domestic use.
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“I go out every morning looking for government boreholes or outlets provided by individuals from where to fetch water because I cannot afford to buy the commodity from water vendors at these exorbitant prices.
“This routine is traumatic for me, because I sacrifice many hours looking for water, hours that I should spend to find money for my family’s upkeep,” he said.
Another resident, Sulaiman Gambo who is a wash man said the situation is also unbearable as he spends about N3, 000 daily on water with which he washes his customers’ clothes.
According to him, 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’s not,” he said.
The State Commissioner for Water Resources, Ali Makoda, had recently said that the State Government was working round the clock to ensure availability of water in the eight metropolitan local governments.
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“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,” he said.
The commissioner blamed the challenge largely on obsolete equipment, especially at the Tamburawa Water Treatment Plant which supplies water to Kano metropolis and its environs.
