Tackling Water Scarcity, Sanitation in Katsina Francis Sardauna
Examines the roles played by Governor Aminu Bello Masari in tackling water scarcity and the impact of his recent declaration of state of emergency on the WASH sector in Katsina State
For all the urban and rural transformation projects ongoing in Katsina State which can be readily acknowledged and verified, Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) evidently occupies a prime place in the development agenda of Governor Aminu Bello Masari-led administration. The placement of water, sanitation and hygiene as the basic necessities of life and most secured channels of ensuring healthy living among citizenry and basis for sound economic and social development of any city, community or rural settlement is incontrovertible.
For this reason and perhaps more, Katsina State under the watch of Masari has gradually become a discerning reference for where a very clean and pragmatic attempt is being made to tackle water scarcity and water-borne diseases from a multidimensional point of view as against what was obtainable in the past.
The state government therefore replaced high lift pumps at Ajiwa Water Works, one of the gigantic projects that engulfed billions of naira but assisted significantly in pumping of treated water from Ajiwa to Katsina metropolis and other neighbouring communities.
To ensure speedy and steady supply of treated water to urban and rural communities in the state, the Masari administration repaired and replaced numerable pumps in Funtua and Malumfashi Water Works as well as the replacement of submersible pumps and power generating sets at Daura Water Works.
In his drive to further boost water supply across the 34 local government areas, the "people's governor" also rehabilitated and commissioned Sabke Water Works, semi urban water supply at Dutsi and Mashi Local Government Areas to increase access to safe drinking water.
Also, the Zobe Regional Water Supply Scheme Phase one is at about 90 per cent completion. The project, according to Masari would be completed around December, 2019. And when completed, access to water supply in Katsina and its environs would be enhanced significantly.
The Phase 1B of the project, when completed would supply treated water from Dutsinma through Karofi, Kafin Soli, Kankia and Charanchi and to ensure the success of the project, the state government has commenced discussion with relevant stakeholders on how to fund the completion of the project.
The state government in synergy with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has constructed over 3,500 hand pump boreholes, 100 Solar Motorised and over 450 Latrines in communities, primary schools, healthcare facilities and market places across the rural areas in the state.
In addition, the Malumfashi Water Works has been carefully redesigned, expanded and plans are on the pipeline to construct a new treatment plant by the Masari's administration to increase the supply of potable water to Malumfashi and Kankara Local Government Areas.
As part of effort to ensure uninterrupted water supply to residents of the state, the administration is also providing constant diesel to all the Water Works and some selected Semi-Urban Schemes in the State.
In the area of sanitation and hygiene, the administration has done graciously well in stemming the menace of open defecation which hitherto bedeviled the state. This among other notable achievements in the sector led to the declaration of over 3,000 communities across the 26 SHAWN Local Government Areas of the state by UNICEF Open Defecation Free (ODF).
Furthermore, the state has the largest number of communities duly certified as open defecation free communities in Nigeria. The recent World Bank report on the NORM survey also indicates that Katsina State has the highest percentage of safely managed sanitation in Nigeria due to the doggedness of Masari.
In order to ensure adequate provision of treated water to the growing population of the state and reduce the high-prevalence of water-borne diseases, the state government had on November 13, 2019 declared a state of emergency on WASH sector.
Speaking at the event, Masari said the achievements recorded in the WASH sector were not enough to categorically say that his administration has achieved the desired result.
He said: "Considering the population growth, the weak and inefficient maintenance mechanism of our water works and associated components, there is need for a strategic plan and an implementation framework to address the declined water sanitation and hygiene service delivery in the state. Consequently, I hereby declare a state of emergency in the WASH sector and campaign against open defecation in the State, and accordingly direct as follows:
"Ministry of Water Resources to propose/ establish Inter-Ministerial Steering Committees on WASH, to be chaired by myself. The relevant MDAs to Launch sector reform via the adoption of State level action plan (ODF roadmap, WASH State Investment Plan); Participate in accessing the National WASH fund at the Federal Ministry of Water Resources".
He stressed that the declaration was in line with the report of Nigerian WASH Poverty
Diagnostic (2017) which indicates that 61 per cent of Nigerians have access to improved water, out of which only 31 per cent have access to improved water in their premises. According to Governor Masari, the report further indicates that access to pipe water in urban premises declined from 32 per cent in 1990 to 7 per cent in 2015.
He explained further, "as we are all aware, the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari had on November 2018 declared the state of emergency in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Sector in Nigeria.
"During the declaration, the president requested state governments to domesticate the declaration of emergency in WASH Sector in their respective states".
On that note, he further affirmed that the state government set aside N5 billion for toilet rehabilitation and provision of additional hand pump boreholes to schools across the state. According to him, the state government has concluded arrangement to start rehabilitating toilets and drilling of boreholes in selected schools across the state.
“The provision of toilets and drilling of boreholes is to improve sanitary condition in schools in the state. Already government in collaboration with UNICEF has intervened in over 400 schools by providing toilets and drinking water to students and pupils.
“We are aware that if we provide clean water to the public, we would have prevented 70 per cent of water borne diseases. We shall put in our best to continue supplying clean water to the entire residents of the state as we have promised during our campaigns,” he said.
He however, commended development partners, particularly UNICEF for their contributions to institutions at the state and local government levels through capacity building and logistics support and urged them to sustain the tempo.
Meanwhile, the unflinching efforts of the present administration in the WASH sector has drastically alleviated the spate of water-borne diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio which have hitherto bedeviled citizens due to negligence by successful administrations in the state.