Residents of Kantudu Ward of Birninkudu Local Government Area of Jigawa State are in a celebratory mood following the restoration of the pipeborne water supply to the community.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the community suffered acute water scarcity for 32 years after the equipment in the public water supply scheme was spoilt.
Some residents of the area, who spoke to NAN on Thursday, described the development as “life-saving.”
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Mr Umar Emiya, a 29-year-old man and resident, told NAN correspondent that he had never seen water flowing from the tap in his family compound until a week ago when water was restored in the community. Emiya said;
I grew up to see a tap that we always played with in our compound when we were kids. We have such taps in many areas in our community.
During the local government elections campaigns, I heard the council chairman say he was going to restore water supply into our homes.
The only taps I know are the ones from the boreholes a little far away from my community, and it also got spoilt at some point,
Mr Bala Awaisu, an aged man, expressed gratitude to the new chairman and his team for restoring water in many communities within three months of assuming office. He explained;
We had some boreholes around many communities, but they got spoilt and went dry over the last years, so we were left with the option of buying water at ₦100 per jerrican
Some water vendors also expressed delight over the development, saying that they need not walk a distance to purchase water to sell in the communities.
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One of them, Mr Habu Ali, said some houses were not connected to the public water supply, adding that they could still fetch from within the community to sell to such residents.
Birninkudu LGA Chairman, Dr Muhammad Uba, explained that he assumed office with the passion to restore water in the area. Uba added;
Being part of the community, I know how people suffered with water because the few houses that have boreholes have been overwhelmed.
So on assuming office, we committed to how we were going to restore the water as quickly as we could. It has been successful, though work is still in progress.
When the repairs were conducted and they started pumping the water out, we realised there are old pipes that need to be replaced. That is what we want to embark on soon
He, however, appealed to residents to own the project and avoid vandalising the pipes.
Uba reiterated the commitment of the Namadi administration to community development and providing welfare to the citizens of the state.
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