By Salisu Hamisu Ali
Some residents within Kano State Metropolis have lamented how lack of water and incessant power outage has contributed greatly to the untold hardship they are passing through in the face of the current prolonged hot weather and delay in the start of the rainy season.
The epileptic power and water scarcity which worsened during the just concluded Ramadan (Fast) has persisted and generated uproar among Kano city residents.
A visit by PRIME TIME NEWS Correspondent to some affected areas within the Metropolis like Dala, Kano Municipal and Gwale LGAs where he observed how women, teenagers and children are queueing up and struggling to fetch water from an electrical borehole for use of the day.
In the Gabari area of Kano Municipal LGA where our reporter met over one hundred people of which the majority are females waiting for several hours to fetch water, engaged some of them in an interaction on their plight.
A lady who pleaded anonymity disclosed to PRIME TIME NEWS that she spent 4 four hours waiting before she got the water.
“This is what we are facing every day, we can’t even recall the last time our tap at home gushed out even a single drop of water. we only depend on this borehole”
A family man who also spent hours waiting to fetch the water said he does not have enough money to be buying water every day.
“We are buying a single jerry can at the rate of 100 Naira, so I need to buy 10 jerry cans to satisfy my house need, how can I spend roughly 1000 Naira daily for only water?” he queried.
The man said they have given up on the issue of water supply from the outgoing government and he urged the incoming administration to do the needful in tackling the issue of water supply in Kano state.
Our Reporter also visited another Community known as Agadasawa within the metropolis where they also share similar challenges with the Gabari area and they also lamented greatly on the issue of shortage of water supply.
Murtala Ibrahim, 45 disclosed besides the lack of general tap water, they are also suffering from a shortage of borehole water in Gabari.
It is on this background that PRIME TIME NEWS contacted the Kano State Water Board for clarity on what issue of shortage of water supply in the state, but at the time of filling this report the MD of the board has not responded to our message.
* Power Outage Worsening the Situation
While residents of the State lament the unfortunate situation of lack of water supply, some believed that the problem can not be unconnected with the incessant power outage in the state.
Recall recently, the Transmission Company of Nigeria disconnected the Kano Electricity Distribution Plc. (KEDCO) from its National grid over disobedience to some established rules of the Company.
Even though the Distribution Company has been reconnected again, people still are facing power outages in the city.