Francis Sardauna in Katsina
As residents of Katsina State groaned over water scarcity, the state government has said it has spent the sum of N291 million for procurement and installation of three additional water pumping machines at Ajiwa Water Works to boost water supply across the state.
The State Commissioner of Water Resources, Alhaji Salisu Dandume, disclosed this to journalists yesterday, shortly after a closed-door meeting with members of the State House of Assembly.
Dandume was last week summoned by the assembly to appear before it and explain the circumstances surrounding the prevailing water scarcity in the state.
The commissioner explained that two of the machines had already been installed at Ajiwa Dam and would commence operation in the next 14 days, urging residents to eschew acts capable of truncating the efforts of the state government.
He said: “We are still awaiting the arrival of the third machine. These machines are not just bought over the counter, but ordered on specification from Germany, and they take six months before they arrive”.
Dandume assured residents of the state that the problem of water scarcity would soon be a thing of the past, saying that residents should exercise patience.
On his part, the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, Hon. Shehu Tafoki, said the assembly was worried over the lingering water scarcity bedeviling residents of the state, hence the summoning of the commissioner.
Tafoki added that the commissioner informed the House that the problem of water scarcity was as a result of faulty pumps at the Ajiwa Water Works.
According to him, the commissioner also informed us that the concrete floor which holds the pumps has to be in good shape before they can begin operation and this will take two weeks.
He, therefore, said the assembly had directed the commissioner and the state government to rectify the problem in order to alleviate the plight confronting residents of the state.
