By Habibu Harisu
As water scarcity bites harder, Sokoto residents chase after moving water tankers to get supplies.
The Sokoto Water Board has not been able to pump water through the pipeline network since contractors stopped supplying expensive diesel to pump water.
The high cost of diesel has made the water board to resort to distributing water by using tankers that go to households.
Residents are seen running after water tankers at Masallacin Shehu, Atiku UbanDoma, Sabon Birni, Aliyu Jodi and Kofar Kade among other residential areas.
Other residents troop to the Water Board headquarters and to water treatment plants on Illela Road to fetch water.
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.
The source hinted that contractors stopped supply because of unpaid accumulated expenses by the government.
Some residents alleged that the water board was supplying adulterated water through the pipeline network until Thursday when supply stopped totally.
They alleged that the poor quality water was untreated, brownish in colour and had bad taste.
When contacted on phone, General Manager, Sokoto State Water Board, Isma’ila Umar-Sanda, initially expressed misgivings that newsmen were only out to look for negative issues.
He said newshounds 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.
In a statement issued by Malam Muhammad Bello, Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs to Gov. Aminu Tambuwal, however, the governor expressed displeasure at the situation.
“As Muslims in Sokoto state celebrate Sallah, some residents of the metropolis had to cope with shortage of water supply, a situation which prompted the state government to respond swiftly.
“Only last week government gave N114 million to the water board to tackle the issue.
“It is surprising that the problem still persists; hence the governor’s decision that the state government will investigate what went wrong,” Bello stated.
