Kano Govt Blames Ganduje Administration for Water Crisis, Says $10M Needed to Revive
The Kano State Government has attributed the ongoing water crisis to the neglect and mismanagement of water infrastructure by the previous administration led by former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
During an inspection of water facilities, the State Commissioner for Water Resources, Haruna Doguwa, said the current administration inherited several vandalized and abandoned water projects that were once functional but deteriorated due to negligence.
“These facilities were once the backbone of water supply in Kano, but they were left to deteriorate. The cost of fixing the damage now runs into millions of dollars,” Doguwa stated.
He cited major facilities such as the Kano Old Water Works and the Challawa Water Works as critical assets that were left in ruins.
“The first water works was built in 1930 and was functional until 2016, but it was vandalized under the previous administration. The cost of vandalization is estimated at \$3.5 million. This facility had a capacity of 20 million litres per day, and its destruction has led to severe water shortages across the state,” he explained.
Doguwa said the Challawa facility, constructed in 2016 during the Kwankwaso administration, was designed to produce 350 million litres of water daily, covering nearly half of Kano’s needs, but was later abandoned and vandalized.
He also referenced the Intel 6 Water Works, another facility established by Kwankwaso, with a capacity of 350 million litres per day—supplying 50% of the state’s water demand. According to him, this facility too was deliberately vandalized in 2016, with pumps valued at over N500 million each being stolen and sold off.
“The commissioner stated that about 12 kilometers of pipes from the Kano River to the treatment plant were removed, raw water pumps were stolen, and the control room was destroyed,” the report noted. He estimated the total cost of repairs at $10 million.
“At the moment, Kano needs about 700 million litres of water daily, but we can only supply 300 million. We are trying to bridge that gap by reviving and expanding other facilities like the Wudil and Joda water works,” Doguwa added.
Despite some ongoing repairs, he said the state still falls short by around 200 million litres per day. However, he assured residents that once the Wudil and Joda facilities are fully restored, water supply would increase to 500 million litres per day—though a gap of 200 million litres would still remain.
Garba Ahmed, Managing Director of the Kano State Water Board, also linked the water shortages to infrastructure damage. He mentioned that areas including Dorayi, Kofar Pompo, Kabuga, Rijiyar Zaki, Janguza, BUK, and Goron Dutse are among the most severely affected.
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