Gombe residents spend more on water as scarcity bites harder

Consistent water scarcity triggered by the inability of the Gombe State Water Board to provide adequate potable water to residents of Gombe metropolis has thrown most households into hardship, an investigation by Weekend Trust has shown. The severe water shortage has plunged households into hardship, with residents forced to seek alternatives amidst the scarcity. Our […]

Consistent water scarcity triggered by the inability of the Gombe State Water Board to provide adequate potable water to residents of Gombe metropolis has thrown most households into hardship, an investigation by Weekend Trust has shown.

The severe water shortage has plunged households into hardship, with residents forced to seek alternatives amidst the scarcity.

Our correspondent who went round Gombe metropolis reports that for months, water pipes that  supply water to few communities connected to the main water treatment plant  are dry, a development that  has forced many residents to rely on privately-owned boreholes as an alternative,  which comes at a cost; most times very high for an average citizen,  leaving those who can’t afford to patronise private-owned boreholes spending hours on queues at boreholes that cost less or give water for free as charity.

The residential areas mostly affected by the scarcity are Tudun Wada, Bolari, Pantami, Herwagana, Kumbiya-Kumbiya and some parts of Jekadafari Quarters. At Tudun Wada, Weekend Trust notes that there has been no supply from the state water corporation for months, even in areas like Jekadafari, where the taps are not constant.

Even highbrow areas like GRA, New GRA, Federal Low Cost, Buba Shongo, Shongo Housing Estate, Orji Estate and Abuja Quarters, also suffer the scarcity as residents, mostly believed to be elites and politicians, also rely on commercial water tankers for water.

Weekend Trust reports that the scarcity is hitting most at the newly established residential areas like Arawa, Kagarawal, Riyal quarters, Bomala, Nayi Nawa and Tumfure quarters because most of them are not connected to the Dadin-Kowa water scheme.

This development, many said, made water for domestic use very expensive, especially during dry season. Ten jerry-cans of water cost as much as N1,000 or more, depending on the location and number of commercial boreholes located in the area.

Abubakar Musa, a secondary school teacher who resides at Bolari Quarters, spends N600 daily on water.

He said, “In our area, 10 gallons cost N600 when there is electricity but N800 to N1,000 when they use generators. I spend over N18,000 monthly on water alone. As a fresh graduate and teacher, my monthly salary is not up to N80,000; and I feed three mouths daily. You can imagine the difficulties.”

Similarly, Malam Abubakar Haruna, a civil servant, noted that it’s been difficult providing water for domestic use for his family.

“I am a junior staff member and my take home pay doesn’t take me anywhere. My salary is spent before middle of the month. This is my fifth year in Arawa Quarters but the taps never ran even for a day. We rely hundred per cent on private-owned boreholes and they charge N600 and above per cart.

“I have a wife and five children and can’t afford to buy from water vendors.  My children spend so much time on queues at the boreholes, which is cheaper. But this affects their studies because they always go to school late,” Haruna said.

At the Federal Low Cost Housing, GRA and Tumfure Quarters, which are considered highbrow areas, residents patronise private water tankers who fill their overhead tanks at the cost of N9,000 or more

Mr Joseph David, a resident of Tumfure Quarters, also said he spent up to N50,000 monthly on water because the area is not connected to water pipelines.

“I used to buy from a water tank at N25,000 and it would not last more than two weeks. I would buy at least two tanks every month, which cost more than N50,000 monthly,” David said.

Experts warn that as residents rush to drill boreholes to meet their water needs without strict quality measures, the search for water could compromise public health instead of improving it.

According to a lecturer in the Department of Geology at the Gombe State University, Dr Ibrahim A Kwami, the geology of Gombe presents a challenge as groundwater depth varies dramatically from one district to another.

“In areas like Arawa, southern bypass, Bomala, Malam Inna and the eastern area of the metropolis, the water table lies close to the surface. While drilling is easier and cheaper in these areas, the shallow aquifers are highly exposed to contamination. Leachate and pollutants from nearby waste sites and soak-away can seep into the water supply if proper safeguards are not in place,” he explained, adding that the risk is lower in highbrow areas but the cost is higher.

“Areas like the Federal Low Cost Housing and GRA face difficulties drilling beyond 100 meters, while the western axis – from GRA through FTH, FCE to the Tumfure axis – has groundwater deeper than 200 meters.  Accessing these reserves therefore demands advanced technology and significant investment, which is limiting access for many households.

“Accessing water is only half of the solution. If we drill without protecting the aquifer, we risk creating a public health problem that is harder to fix than the scarcity itself,” he explained.

He advised the authorities and residents not to treat quality control as an option but a necessity to avoid trading one crisis with another.

Meanwhile, at the time most residents are groaning under the hardship encountered when searching for water, the state government said it was spending up to N150 million monthly to supply water to the public.

Also, in January 2023, the state government, in collaboration with the federal government, inaugurated an N11.49 billion project for the rehabilitation, expansion and upgrade of the Gombe Regional Water Supply scheme.

Inaugurating the project alongside the then Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Hussaini Adamu, Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya said it was in line with the provision of the national water supply and sanitation policy of the federal government.

He said federal government’s intervention was to accelerate access to potable water in the country towards meeting national and international targets.

He said, “The Gombe regional water supply project was carried out in a 70/30 per cent partnership with the Gombe State Government.”

In his speech, Governor Yahaya said his administration had since 2019 undertaken essential repairs and rehabilitation of the Gombe regional water project, which he noted enabled the state government to supply 50 million litres daily as against the 20 million daily supply.

However, over two years after the inauguration, and despite government’s claim of monthly expenditure of over N150 million monthly on water provision, residents of Gombe are still waiting for the water to drop in their homes.

Responding, the general manager of the Gombe State Water Board, Abubakar Sadiq Muhammed, an engineer, said the lingering challenge of water supply in the state was largely as a result of the combination of operational, infrastructural, demographic and social factors.

According to him, while the investment demonstrates government’s strong commitment to ensuring access to potable water, several underlying challenges have continued to affect the efficiency and sustainability of supply.

“One of the biggest obstacles to sustainable water supply is the extremely high cost of energy required to operate the Dadin-Kowa water treatment plant. A substantial portion of the monthly allocation is spent on electricity and water treatment chemicals needed to pump and distribute water across the metropolis, at least twice weekly,” he said.

He said rising operational costs had significantly reduced production capacity and limited the volume of water that could be supplied consistently.

Muhammed also cited rapid urbanisation and population growth over the years, as well as increased economic activities and migration into the state capital as part of the reasons the scarcity has persisted.

He said: “Water demand has risen to almost 10 times the installed production capacity of the Dadin-Kowa water treatment plant. This widening gap between supply and demand has placed enormous pressure on existing infrastructure, making it difficult for the system to meet the need of residents adequately.

“And despite the huge cost of water production and distribution, revenue recovery remains critically low. Less than 3 per cent of operational costs are recovered due to the widespread unwillingness of consumers to pay water bills. This significantly undermines the financial sustainability of the water sector and limits the resources available for maintenance, expansion and improved service delivery.”

The general manager further said the ongoing road construction and urban renewal projects in parts of the state had also resulted in the tampering and relocation of major water supply lines, leading to temporary disruptions in water distribution along affected corridors.

He, however, said the state government had continued to make significant investments and implement strategic interventions aimed at improving water supply across the state.

“The state government has awarded contracts worth N11.4 billion for the expansion, rehabilitation and upgrade of the Gombe Regional Water Supply Scheme. These include rehabilitation of the Wuro Juli Battery Borehole Water Supply Scheme, construction of three new booster stations, and the laying of over 109 kilometres of reticulation pipelines extending to the International Conference Centre and surrounding communities.

“Government is also reviving and upgrading borehole schemes across the state into hybrid solar-powered systems. This initiative is designed to complement supply from the Dadin-Kowa Water Treatment Plant while reducing dependence on the national grid and lowering energy costs,” Muhammed explained.

According to him, there is also an ongoing rehabilitation and upgrade of the Mallam Inna Water Supply Scheme, which previously served as the primary source of water supply to Gombe town before its abandonment for nearly two decades. “It is being restored to strengthen water availability and improve long-term sustainability,” he noted.