Tambuwal To Probe N114m Allocation As Water Shortage Affects Sallah

Heads may roll at Sokoto State Water Board following the scarcity of water that persisted throughout the state metropolis during Eid-el Kabir celebration.

Areas worse hit include Sabon Birni, Gobirawa, Anguwar Roko, opposite Gidan Tarihi, Dutsen Assada, some parts of Minanatta, Dan Hili and Sabon Titi.

The residents were seen running after water tankers at Masallacin Shehu, Atiku UbanDoma, Sabon Birni, Aliyu Jodi and Kofar Kade among other residential areas while others troop to the Water Board headquarters and to water treatment plants on Illela Road to fetch water.

Some residents alleged that the water board was supplying untreated, adulterated water, brownish in colour that had bad taste.

Miffed by the ugly scenario, and in spite of the sum of N114 million provided for the board recently, the state government had swiftly responded to investigate and resolve the matter.

Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal while expressing his displeasure over the issue when, he paid the traditional sallah homage to the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar at his palace said, only this week his administration provided N114 million to the state water board for it to tackle issues bedeviling water scarcity in the state metropolis. He said he is surprised that the problem still persist, thus his decision that the state government will investigate what went wrong.

A source at the Water Board said that aside unavailability of diesel, other logistics like debt owed to contractors supplying water treatment chemicals were challenges being faced.

According to the source, “the high cost of diesel has made the water board to resort to distributing water by using tankers that go to households and, contractors stopped supply of water treatment chemicals because of unpaid accumulated expenses.”

When contacted on phone, the general manager, Sokoto State Water Board, Isma’ila Umar-Sanda, said newsmen were only out to look for negative stories. He said journalists were not approaching the board on its routine activities till things went bad, stressing that all hitches were temporary and efforts were being made to address them. He added also that there was no commissioner for water resources in the state.