Some residents of Kano metropolis have expressed great concern over the lingering water scarcity in the city.
A cross-section of the residents, who spoke on the situation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Tuesday said that the situation had lasted for about one year.
They said that it had caused them untold economic hardship. They appealed to the state government to come to their rescue without further delay.
NAN reports that the areas mostly affected include Kano Municipal, Dala, Nasarawa, Taurauni, Gwale, Kimbotso and Fagge Local Government Areas (LGAs).
A resident of Dakata in Nasarawa LGA, Tanko Idris, said the water scarcity had persisted for about a year in some areas with no solution in sight.
Idris said that he was worried that the problem had lingered without any solution by the government.
He said: “I am a petty trader and I have seven children. I buy a cart of six jerrycans of water for N1,200 on a daily basis.
“Government spends billions of naira on over head bridges, flyovers and interchange projects.
“Why not channel part of the money to provide water for the people?”
Also, Baba Ali of Tarauni area said that the situation had made life unbearable for most families in the affected areas.
Ali said that families now relied on unwholesome water from vendors, in spite of its impurity and health risks.
“The taps have not run for about nine months to one year in some areas and the few available hand pumps are overstretched.
“Children spend several hours in the queue waiting to fetch water.
“We are experiencing difficulties in accessing clean water in Kano,” Ali said.
A resident of Fagge LGA, Aisha Isa, described the situation as disheartening, saying that they struggled to find alternatives to public water supply.
Isa, who called for “urgent government intervention”, said that she was spending an average of N1,500 daily on water.
A civil servant in Kumbotso, Saleh Musa, also said that the situation was overwhelming and taking too long to solve.
“Authorities concerned should look into our plight and find a way to address it immediately because water is life and we need it to survive,” Musa said.
He further said that he used five carts of water in less than a week, which cost him N1,500.
A bank worker from Gwale, Muhammad Nura, also decried the situation, saying that water vendors hiked the price of water per cart by about 100 per cent.
Nura said that residents were buying a 25-litre jerrycan of water between N100 and N120 as against the former price of N50 and N60.
“We are left with no option than to patronise unwholesome water from the vendors even at exorbitant prices.
“I urge the State Government to declare a state of emergency on portable water supply,” he said.
Efforts to get the Commissioner for Water Resources, Ali Makoda, to react to the ugly development, were unsuccessful.
However, a top ministry official, who pleaded anonymity, said that government was aware of the crisis and was making efforts to tackle it. (NAN)
