The Kano State Government has held the administration of former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje responsible for the state’s persistent water crisis, citing neglect and large-scale vandalism of critical infrastructure.
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The information was made known during an inspection tour of water facilities by the Commissioner for Water Resources, Haruna Doguwa, who led journalists to assess the extent of the damage.
According to Doguwa, key water facilities that were once fully functional were abandoned during Ganduje’s tenure. Among them are the historic Kano water works, established in 1930, and the Challawa water works, built in 2016. These facilities, previously vital to Kano’s water supply system, have reportedly been left in a state of disrepair due to years of neglect and lack of maintenance.
Doguwa revealed that about 12 kilometers of water pipes supplying raw water from the Kano River were uprooted, while vital equipment including raw pumps and control systems were either vandalized or stolen. The estimated cost of restoring the damaged infrastructure is placed at around $10 million.
Further findings show that the Intel 6 water works, established under the administration of former Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and designed to supply 350 million liters of water daily, accounting for nearly half of the state’s needs, was also heavily vandalized during Ganduje’s administration.
At present, Kano State requires 700 million cubic meters of water daily but is only able to produce 300 million. In response, the current administration has begun the procurement of new pumps and is working on expanding the Wudil and Joda water facilities to boost output. The goal is to increase daily water supply to 500 million cubic meters once the restoration is completed.
In the meantime, the government has identified several areas severely affected by the water shortage, including Dorayi, Kofar Pompo, and Goron Dutse. As part of efforts to ease the burden on residents, water vendors and tanker drivers have been directed to agree on standard pricing within a seven-day window to prevent exploitation.
