The Sokoto State government has announced measures to address the acute shortage of potable water confronting residents amidst a high temperature of over 42 degrees Celsius.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that taps have gone dry and residents have been scampering to source water wherever it is available.
To assuage the situation, Alhaji Yusuf Maccido, the state commissioner for water resources, said the government had set up a committee headed by the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Idris Gobir, to deploy water tankers across the localities to provide immediate relief to residents.
The committee would also overhaul all broken-down water pumping engines and ensure the dredging of 72 earth dams in the medium and long term, Maccido told newsmen on Friday in Gusau.
The commissioner said funds had been disbursed to the committee to address the situation, adding that some water engineers and experts from Kaduna have been coopted to support the state water board in the repair and rehabilitation of the facilities.
According to him, three of the pumping machines in Kware are being repaired to restore water supply to Sokoto metropolis.
He said that the government hopes that in the next three years, the issue of water scarcity will be fully addressed.
Maccido explained that the government plans to replace obsolete machinery and complete the dredging of Bakalori, Goronyo, and Luga dams, which were the main sources of raw water being processed by the state water board for supply to residents.
He added that arrangements were being made to harness the Shagari dam for hydropower generation.
”We are targeting at least 80 percent supply of potable water after rehabilitations of the systems; at present, below 20 percent is being utilised.
”We are determined to ensure that dams, machinery, and other facilities function to high capacity before the end of the tenure of the present administration,” Maccido said.
He appealed to the public to show more understanding, assuring that the government is fully committed to ending the biting water scarcity. (NAN)
