Bauchi Govt, Donors Repair 2,000 Boreholes

Bauchi State government has expressed its readiness to partner with international donors to facilitate the rehabilitation of about 1,982 boreholes in the state.

Commissioner for Water Resources, Abdulrazak Nuhu Zaki stated this while addressing a delegation from Evidence Action, an international organisation with passion for safe water expansion and exploration.

He said community data sheet from the state rural water supply agency (RUWASA) indicates that of the total of 10,315 boreholes available in the state, only 833 are functional.

The commissioner told the visiting team that the presence of representatives of key ministries, departments and agency of the state at the meeting was a pointer to state government’s desire to fight water-related diseases in state.

Zaki assured the international organisation that, “all the MDAs with relevant information  about the water needs of the state would be mobilised to provide required data for the success of the project.

“We also assure you that government will ensure transparency in the selection of the local governments and wards that will benefit from the project.”

Country director of Evidence Action, Pharmacist Tope Ogunbi, said four local government areas would be selected shortly after water-point verifications which would involve collection of information on key indicators like households per water point, water point type and water point functionality in one ward each in four LGAs.

He further explained that “Selection of the four LGAs and the four wards will be determined by population size, Diarrhoea-burden of children under 5 years of age, proportion and types of existing water treatment schemes and evaluation of the difference between rural and urban water points and their community.”

Mr Ogunbi said information gathered through water point exploration would enable his organisation to understand the number, location and types of communal water points suitable for the safe water programme to be implemented in Bauchi State under the five-year project.