Despite the public outcry over acute water supply, the Kano State Government has raised concern over the level of vandalization and stolen water facilities, causing the state a huge fortune to fix.
Addressing journalists after an inspection of the facilities on Tuesday, Commissioner for Water Resources, Umar Doguwa, lamented the damage done to some of the facilities, which would require concerted measures to overcome.
Although the Commissioner revealed the government’s intention to rectify the challenges, he explained that not less than \$3.5 million will be required to reactivate the Chalawa Water Works.
Doguwa added that the station had suffered stolen machinery, which can only be produced on demand because they are not sold in the market. He said over \$10 million will also be required to revive the available water plants.
The Commissioner reminded that Kano metropolis alone needs 700 cubic liters of water daily but is now receiving only 300 cubic liters.
The Commissioner explained that even with the repair and restoration of the Chalawa plant, as well as the remaining water plants in Tamburawa, Second Water Works, Third Water Works, and others, only 500 million cubic liters of water per day can be produced.
“This facility here has been dilapidated, and most of the machinery was stolen under the immediate past administration. In fact, there were some individuals who claimed that the Water Works was sold to them.
“There is a 15-kilometer underground pipe that supplies water to the Water Works that they dug out and stole. We could not trace where the pipes are at the moment. Other items stolen from the Chalawa Water Works include raw water pumps, electrical facilities, electrical starters of control rooms, and underground pipes.
“This place was established in 1930 by the colonial government and had been supplying water to Kano metropolis up to 2016 before it was vandalized under the immediate past administration,” he stated.
Giving more details to newsmen, the Managing Director, Kano State Water Board, Engr. Garba Ahmed, stated that the Chalawa Water Works is called the First Water Works, and its construction started in 1927 and was completed in 1930.
“The plant has a capacity of 20 MLD per day. At that time, the water produced from this plant was adequate for Kano, and there was no complaint of lack of water then.
“It is due to the growth in population that additional water works were constructed here in Kano. This facility had been working up to the year 2016; it never failed. It was providing adequate water to Kano.
“As at 2002, this plant was providing water to Dorayi, Kabuga, Kofar Fanfo, Jan Bulo, Bakin Bulo, Rijiyar Zaki, Bayero University New Site, and the Janguza Army Barracks.
“With the stoppage of work in this place, all the mentioned places are not getting water, and nothing can be done unless this plant is rehabilitated.
“When we came in 2023, it was very unfortunate, as all the machineries with their accompanying accessories were carted away, including the armored cables, during the immediate past administration. They were stolen and probably sold.
“A sad thing to note here is that the transmission line—the raw water transmission line—conveying half of the intake of this water plant, which covers a distance of almost 15 kilometers, all the pipes were uprooted, carted away, and probably stolen,” Engr. Ahmed said.