By Bashir Bello

KANO — The Kano State Government has revealed that it inherited moribund and vandalized water works worth millions of naira from the previous administration of former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje. According to the government, this is the root cause of the perennial water crisis experienced in the state.

The affected facilities include the first Kano water works built in 1930 and the Challawa water works constructed by former Governor, Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, in 2016.

State Commissioner for Water Resources, Hon. Haruna Doguwa, disclosed this during a tour of the facilities with journalists. He lamented the extent of vandalism, noting that the facilities were fully functional until 2016 when the Ganduje administration abandoned them.

Doguwa highlighted that about 12 km of water pipes, which supplied water from the Kano River to the water works, were uprooted, while the control room and raw pumps were vandalized and stolen. He estimated that it would cost the government around $10 million to restore the damaged facilities.

“The first water works was built in 1930 and was functional until 2016, but it was vandalized under the previous administration. The cost of vandalization is estimated at $3.5 million. This facility had a capacity of 20 million litres per day, and its destruction has led to severe water shortages across the state,” Doguwa explained.

He also pointed out that the Intel 6 water works, established by Kwankwaso, had a capacity of 350 million litres per day, supplying 50% of Kano State’s water needs. Doguwa expressed disappointment that the facility was deliberately vandalized in 2016, with pumps valued at N500 million each being sold off.

According to Doguwa, Kano State requires 700 million cubic meters of water daily but is currently managing only 300 million cubic meters. Efforts are underway to fix the damaged infrastructure, with the government already procuring replacement pumps.

To close the gap, the state government is working to expand the Wudil and Joda water works. Doguwa assured that once the facilities are restored, water supply would increase to 500 million cubic meters per day, though a 200-million-cubic-meter gap would still remain.

The Managing Director of the Kano State Water Board, Garba Ahmed, also attributed the acute water shortage to the vandalization of key water works and equipment. He listed areas heavily affected by the water crisis, including Dorayi, Kofar Pompo, Kabuga Rijiyar Zaki, Janguza, BUK, and Goron Dutse.

In a related development, Commissioner Doguwa held a meeting with the leadership of tanker drivers and water vendors to discuss setting fixed prices for water tanks and jerrycans to curb price exploitation. He issued a seven-day ultimatum to agree on a fair pricing structure.