Industrial waste raises health concerns in Kano communities

Effluence from Sharada, Challawa and other industrial areas in Kano metropolis is posing monumental environmental and health hazards to residents of some communities in the state, Kano Chronicle, reports. Residents of areas such as Sabuwar Gandu, Maidile, Sharada, Challawa and other communities along River Wudil have complained severally over recurrent cases of diarrhea and other water-borne diseases due to the contamination of their source of water by the industrial waste […]

Effluence from Sharada, Challawa and other industrial areas in Kano metropolis is posing monumental environmental and health hazards to residents of some communities in the state, Kano Chronicle, reports.

Residents of areas such as Sabuwar Gandu, Maidile, Sharada, Challawa and other communities along River Wudil have complained severally over recurrent cases of diarrhea and other water-borne diseases due to the contamination of their source of water by the industrial waste especially from tanneries.

Our reporters gathered that the waste washing into Wudil River has killed the fishing business in the town and is currently threatening the lives of inhabitants of communities around the town who depend on the river as their source of water for domestic use.

The affected residents lamented that the situation always gets worse when the volume of water rises during the rainy season.

Apart from harbouring mosquitoes, the residents decried the stench emanating from the waste water describing it as a threat to their lives and businesses.

Speaking on behalf of the village head of Tukuntawa, Magaji Aliyu Mani, said they suffered for many years due to the industrial waste, adding that, “there were many attempts from health and environmental experts from the state, national and international levels to conduct a research about the situation, but once they collect the data and go, that’s the end of it you wouldn’t know their findings.

“The state government, during the time of Malam Ibrahim Shekarau awarded a contract for the construction of concrete gutter that will be covered with slabs so that the waste will pass without letting that bad smell out. But the project is yet to be completed. Kwankwaso added a little to it and stopped. Since then nothing is done again.

“We have been to a number of places and tabled our complaint, including some media organizations, but perhaps because the affected areas are inhabited by people of lower social class, no one has taken our plight seriously.”

“On the side of the industries, they don’t care about their host communities at least in terms of their corporate social responsibility. Even in terms of employment, they don’t give us any special treatment as host communities who suffer most from environmental and water pollution being caused by the companies.”

Zakari Muhammad Kiru, a resident of Tukuntawa Gidan Maza told our reporters that the waste was usually released late evening, alleging that “the companies causing the pollution are aware that during daytime, some influential people are passing through the area, so they usually leave it until night hours when nobody but the residents of the affected areas will suffer for it.”

Kiru added that about nine people died recently due to suspected health issues related to inhaling poisonous air from the industrial waste.

“At least nine people had lost their lives recently in Tukuntawa over what we suspected to be a sickness related to the contaminated air this water produce.

Some complained of having stomach pain, before you know it they are dead. And it mostly affects infants and young ones” he said.

Nura Abdullahi Sheka, a tea seller in Maidile, said “We face a lot of problems here. This waste is causing serious air pollution that even passers-by must have to cover their noses.

“At times it causes serious stomach pain and sometimes even cholera. And mosquitoes are unbearable here. It affects our businesses as well.

“As you can see, I sell tea here. Who can sit here and eat or drink something while that water is flowing? he queried.

The residents appealed to government to at least complete gutter project started by the previous administrations in the state.

Speaking recently at a press briefing, Social Director of Wudil Forum, Malam Muhammed Wudil, said despite numerous complaints about the issue no action was taken to save people from the danger of using contaminated water.

‘’For some years now Wudil has experienced a lot of disaster regarding effluence from chemicals, I meant toxic waste from tanneries that contaminate our source of water. Right from industries in Challawa and Panshekara, the chemical waste that wash through Maidille, Sabuwar-Gandu into Kumbotso then into Wudil river creates a lot of problem, ignorantly our people drink water from the river directly, others take it for domestic use and that causes havoc, many fell sick and the aquatic life in the river has been affected.

‘’When this toxic waste wash into the river it kills many fishes and ignorantly our people eat the contaminated fish without taken any measure to prevent health hazards and that resulted to a lot of health issues,” he said.

He added that people on the bank of the river are facing a lot of problems, stressing that the environment was not conducive for living because of the stench emanating from contaminated water.

‘’We wrote letter of complaint to the state ministry of environment, we went through relevant government agencies, gave them copies of our letter and yet nothing is done. Wudil town is known for fishing, but at the moment the business is on its last legs; in sum, the business is no more because the fishes in the river have almost been killed by the chemicals from tanneries.