SIR: Professor Babagana Umara Zulum’s tireless efforts to boost Borno’s infrastructure are being undermined by mismanagement, which has been silently sabotaging key sectors, including water and sanitation, leaving residents facing an uncertain future. 

Despite monthly sanitation initiatives in the town, these efforts continue to be neglected. Maiduguri’s water infrastructure is facing a growing crisis, with improper toilet pipe connections and indiscriminate trash disposal clogging drainage systems and exacerbating flooding during the rainy season.
   
Many residential and commercial buildings in Maiduguri have toilet pipes directly connected to the drainage system, releasing untreated sewage into the drains. This clogs the system and poses serious health risks. Additionally, residents often dispose of trash indiscriminately, throwing waste into the drainage system, which exacerbates flooding during the rainy season. 
   
Notably, some residents pour trash into the drainage system during rainfall, believing the water will wash it away, but this practice merely relocates the waste, potentially causing disease outbreaks and flooding when the garbage accumulates and isn’t cleared. The absence of thorough needs assessment and poor project execution has resulted in mismanagement, ultimately depriving our communities of essential waste management services, particularly in areas such as Gwange, Jiddari Polo, Ajilari Cross, Kofa Biyu, and others.    
 
According to a 2016 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report, statistical data on waste generation and composition in Maiduguri, estimates total waste generation at 390 tonnes per day, rising to 570 tonnes per day due to population growth and IDP movement.
   
In this regard, there is a need for improving project planning and execution, providing storm covers for all water drainage systems, conducting thorough needs assessments by engaging with community members, enforcing regulations on waste management, allocating adequate resources for drainage systems, educating residents on proper waste management, and implementing monitoring systems to ensure proper use and maintenance. 
Fadeela Mustapha Lawan wrote from Maiduguri.