The Kano State Government has blamed the persistent water crisis in the state on the alleged neglect and vandalism of key water infrastructure inherited from the previous administration of former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
State Commissioner for Water Resources, Hon. Haruna Doguwa, made this known during a facility inspection tour with journalists, revealing that vital water works — some dating back as far as 1930 — were left in a moribund and vandalized state, requiring over $10 million in repairs.
According to Doguwa, the Kano River water pipeline stretching 12 kilometers, along with control rooms and raw water pumps, were completely vandalized under the last administration. He said the oldest Kano water works, built in 1930 with a 20-million-litre daily capacity, was abandoned and destroyed, contributing significantly to the state’s severe water shortages.
Another major casualty was the Intel 6 water works, built in 2016 by ex-Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, with a capacity of 350 million litres per day, supplying nearly half of Kano’s water needs. Doguwa alleged that this facility was deliberately vandalized, with pumps worth N500 million each sold off, causing major disruption to the state’s water distribution.
“Today, Kano needs about 700 million cubic meters of water daily, but we are currently managing just 300 million,” Doguwa said. He noted that efforts are ongoing to fix and upgrade facilities, particularly at Wudil and Joda, to boost supply to 500 million cubic meters, though a 200-million-cubic-meter shortfall would still remain.
The Commissioner also disclosed a meeting with tanker drivers and water vendors, giving them a seven-day ultimatum to agree on a fair and fixed pricing structure for water delivery, aimed at stopping the exploitation of residents during the crisis.
Managing Director of the Kano State Water Board, Garba Ahmed, also corroborated the claims, naming severely affected areas such as Dorayi, Kofar Pompo, Kabuga Rijiyar Zaki, Janguza, BUK, and Goron Dutse as facing acute water shortages due to the destruction of water infrastructure.
The state government reaffirmed its commitment to rehabilitating the damaged systems and restoring steady water supply to residents.
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