Completed multimillion naira Jibia dam begging to be used

The dam was constructed at the cost of N49, 210, 500 million, the irrigation site gulped N46, 600, 000 and the water treatment plant was built at N35, 036, 000. The project is under the Sokoto River Basin Development Authority (SRBDA). Weekly Trust gathered that the capacity of the dam was 142 million cubic meters, […]

The dam was constructed at the cost of N49, 210, 500 million, the irrigation site gulped N46, 600, 000 and the water treatment plant was built at N35, 036, 000. The project is under the Sokoto River Basin Development Authority (SRBDA).

Weekly Trust gathered that the capacity of the dam was 142 million cubic meters, while the size of the embankment was 3, 680 kilometres, 3.68 meter in  lengths and 19.5 deep. There was also a 266 million cubic metres capacity of flood storage at the site.

A 26-square kilometre water reservoir with a length of 11 kilometres and 3,700 square kilometres catchment area was constructed. Two compensation reservoirs with capacities of 35, 000 and 45, 000 cubic metres respectively were also built at the site to serve as supplements.

The dam was designed to provide water to the water treatment plant, irrigation site, Katsina metropolis and Niger Republic as well.

Alhaji Wada Yakubu, the project manager told Weekly Trust that the river basin has been releasing raw water to the designated area including Niger Republic. He explained that the last time the river basin releases water to Niger Republic was in 2009.

The irrigation site, Weekly Trust learnt, comprises of power house, pumping station and 3, 500 hectares irrigation area. The power house has four 800KVA capacity generating sets to complement the Power Holding Company of Nigeria in supplying electricity for constant supply of water to the designated areas; water treatment plant, Katsina metropolis, irrigation site and Niger Republic.

Eight pumps were put in place for pumping water to first and second reservoirs with each having four pumps attached to it.  The irrigation site was divided into six with the first reservoir feeding three areas and the second supplying to only two areas. The sixth area that is being cultivated by farmers now is getting water through natural flow. In other words, water is being supplied to the area without the aid of pumping machines.

The water treatment plant, Weekly Trust learnt, was designed to provide 12, 000 cubic metre of drinking water to the people of Jibia town per day. It was learnt that though the project was completed and indeed put into use, but it was only supplying drinking water to the community occasionally.

Constant power outage was impeding activities of the water plant. Presently Weekly Trust learnt that the plant was pumping water to Jibia community only when there is electricity from the PHCN.

Alhaji Rabe Musa is the District Manager of the plant. He told Weekly Trust that lack of power is seriously affecting the plant, saying “the Jibia local government is assisting us with diesel monthly, But we have spent sometimes without local government sole administrators in the state the plant could not pump drinking water to the community every day.”

Rabe, who spoke through the plant’s production manager, Alhaji Safiyanu Sani said “the newly appointed sole administrator has pledged to continue supplying diesel to the plant from this month. Everything would be over from this month.”

Weekly Trust learnt that though there was enough water in the dam but it Is not being put to adequate use. Also, of  the3, 500 hectares set aside for irrigation, only 1, 700 hectares are currently being cultivated by farmers.

This has indicated that farming at the upland area is fluctuating due to lack of constant supply of water from the dam. The upland area covered over 70 per cent of the irrigation area. It was learnt that when commissioned the entire site was put into use before farming stopped in the upland area between 2006 and 2007.

Activities resumed at the site between 2008 and 2010 before it again again last year for no other reason other than lack water. About 1,500 hectares was cultivated in 2008, 2, 000 in 2009/2010 and 3, 000 hectares put in use last year. Seven thousand, two hundred farmers were registered with the river basin for irrigation in the area in last year.

It was learnt that the management of the Sokoto River Basin Development Authority in collaboration with the Katsina State Government and the farmers decided to suspend farming in the upland area this year due to some works being carried out at the site by the Federal Government.

Alhaji Wada Yakubu is the project Manager; he told Weekly Trust that the river basin authority, Katsina State Government and the farmers had during a meeting agreed to suspend farming at the upland area until the completion of the on-going installations work at the site.

“We have received a consignment of new machines from the FG in 2009 and installation work only commenced this year. So because of this development we decided to suspend farming in the area until we finish the installations. We are hoping to finish the work in 2-3 week time,” he said.

Yakubu, however said “we have all agreed to resume work at the site by October this year because after the installation we want synchronise the electricity supply and test all the canals before we could allow farmers to resume work at the site. So I am sure by October this year everything would be okay and farmers would be invited to return to the site.”

He said five to six trucks of diesel are needed to power the plant to supply water to the upland area when there was no electricity from the PHCN. The commodity is jointly being supplied by the state and the federal governments respectively.

“Both are supplying diesel to us. Like in 2010 federal government provided us with diesel for the whole season but in 2011 Katsina state shouldered the responsibility. Katsina state Government is indeed assisting the river basin authority in managing the project,” he noted

Alhaji Sarki Nura is leader of Youth Farmers Association, Jibia. He told Weekly Trust that over 20, 000 farmers could be engaged in various farming activities at the site had the project be adequately utilised.

He said under-utilisation of the project is negatively affecting their lives.

Nura said about 500 farmers are currently cultivating the gravity area at the site. He said “for the past three years we have not been using the upland area for irrigation and as a result about 8,000 young farmers have abandoned farming and travelled to urban areas in search of menial jobs.”

“The gravity area we are cultivating is not suitable for cash crops such as beans and wheat because of excessive water flow. Very few farmers are cultivating wheat and rice in the area. Most of us are producing only maize and vegetables,” he said.

Another farmer, Malam Salisu Mai-Shanu said “I have been cultivating cassava, maize and vegetables in the area since the commissioning of the project in 1992. I thanked God for being among the farmers that are earning their living from the project. I was able to build my own

house, bought another for my son and gave out my two daughters for marriage courtesy of irrigation farming.”

Like Mai-Shanu, Alhaji Isma’ilaUmar also benefitted from the Jibia irrigation project. He said “I was into irrigation farming in the area for the past 18 years now. I am cultivating wheat and rice before I switched to maize and vegetables.”

“Our major problems here include late arrival of fertilisers. Katsina state Government is not supplying us with the commodity on time. We cannot say Government is not providing us with the commodity but it always comes late. We are also being disturbed by some strange insects that are destroying our crops,” he said.

He added that “the insecticide we are applying on the insects is no longer effective; it is not killing the insects anymore. So we are appealing to Government to intervene by providing us with effective insecticide.”

The Sarkin Noma of Jibia, Alhaji Lawwali Makiyayi said another problem faced by the farmers in Jibia was lack of market for their farm produce especially wheat. He told Weekly Trust that “I had to stock the wheat I harvested last year owing to lack of market.”

“I was forced to stocked my wheat due lack of market. I cannot take two or three bags of wheat to market because I want make profit; no I can’t do that. I prepare to stock them until when the price appreciate,” he said.

Mai-Shanu however, commended Governor Ibrahim Shema for providing irrigation farmers with soft loan, saying “we have been provided with interest free loan by the state government. More farmers have also filled their forms for the loan.”