By Shuaibu Sharifat
Ramat Saidu, who lives in the Kampala Bread area of Yauri Local Government Area, Kebbi State, has drunk river water all her life.
“I have been drinking river water since I was born,” she said. She said she is repeatedly diagnosed with typhoid and blames the river.
Her alternative, sachet water, is no better, she said. It often smells and tastes off, and neighbours with private boreholes let others fetch only on their terms. “Several times we were asked to carry water into their houses before we could fetch our own. It is humiliating,” she said.
Ms Saidu said the water project announced in 2024 is still unfinished. “We’ve only been seeing tanks on one of the mountains, no result,” she added.
A project stalled
In 2024, the National Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (NHYPPADEC) and the Kebbi State Water Board announced the rehabilitation of the Yauri central water works, a project worth N2 billion. Residents said the distribution pipes have been laid but no water flows. A visit on site by this reporter also confirms the stagnation of the project.
The Yauri Local Government, led by Chairman Abubakar Shuaibu, said it built motorised boreholes in the council’s ten wards. But residents told this reporter that neither effort has reached them.
Another resident, Rahama Attahiru of Gungun Sarki, Bayan Salama, said the water is brownish, sometimes cloudy, and smells and tastes unpleasant. She said residents of her community have suffered diarrhoea, typhoid, cholera, stomach pain and skin rashes. Some rely on wells, she said; others buy tanker water that she said arrives muddy, with visible debris.
Aliyu Manu, another resident of the community, said residents know what the water does to their health. “We know the effects of this water on our health, but we really have no choice,” he said.
Tanker sellers
Abdullahi Sarkin Noma, who sells water from his tanker to Yauri residents, said he buys it at the river, and it is always muddy. He blamed erosion after rain and people washing and bathing at the river.
He said he pays for the water. When asked who received payment, he expressed doubt but noted that he thinks the money goes to the Emir.
He said he pays N5,000, N3,500, N3,000 or N2,000 to fill a tank, depending on its size. He resells a tank bought for N5,000 for N20,000. Selling house to house, he said, he makes about N15,000 to N16,000, depending on the day. A bowl costs N50, a bucket N200 and a tall blue drum N500.
The health cost
Dr Usman Asgogo, who runs the Asgogo Medical Centre in Yauri, said he sees the effects daily. Hepatitis B and C are bloodborne. He recommended that government provide boreholes, free water guard and chlorine so residents can treat water before use.
Officials: “Joyful news soon”
Asked about the delays, Alhaji Lawali Manu, the Magajin Rafi of Yauri and a civil servant, said the rehabilitation is ongoing. “The pipes that will distribute water to everyone have already been established at each location. Residents will receive joyful news from our side soon.”