Katsina state government is set to spend twenty billion naira (N20 billion) on the provision of safe and portable water to Communities in the state.
The project will be carried out under the world Bank funded program “Nigeria sustainable Urban and rural water supply and sanitation SURWASH 2024”
The state commissioner of Water resources, Dr Bashir Saulawa confirmed the development while briefing journalists before the chief executives of the implementing Agencies of RUWASSA, SEPA, Water board, Small towns Water supply and Sanitation Agency.
He said the state government had already invested five billion naira toward the project .
The commissioner remarked that the six months project plan to be carried out in phases, is expected to cover the entire state.
Also briefing journalists, the Executive Director of the State Rural Water supply and Sanitation Agency, RUWASSA, Alhaji Abubakar Suleiman Abukur said the Agency was targeting one hundred and ten communities across eight local government areas of Charanchi, Batagarawa, Baure, Daura, Funtua Malumfashi, Kafur and Kankara.
According to him forty solar powered boreholes would be drilled in forty Communities, while another fifty communities would have hand pump boreholes.
Abukur maintained that twenty other health care centers and primary schools would have solar powered boreholes and additional pit latrines.
On his part, the managing director of the state Water board, Dr Tukur Hassan Tingilin said substantial part of the money would be committed on the general pipeline network in the major cities of Katsina, Daura, Dutsinma and Malumfashi local governments areas.
According to him, twenty areas would be covered in Katsina, followed by Daura with forteen communities, nine each in Malumfashi and Funtua while Dutsinma would have six areas to be covered by the water project.
Tingilin added that attention would be given to replacement of absolute pipes while those ones affected by the road constructions would be shifted with laying of new pipelines.
Also shedding more light, the executive Director of the Small towns Water supply and Sanitation Agency, Alhaji Ibrahim Lawal Dankaba said his Agency would build complete water scheme including boreholes, 225 cubic meter Water reservoirs and pubic water stands across seven of the ten targeted Local governments.
According to him, the project would ensure full involvement of members of the benefiting communities to take charge of them.
Also briefing journalists, the the Director, waste management and pollution control of state Environmental Protection Agency, SEPA, Alhaji Imrana Tukur Nadabo would construct toilets covering ten healthcare facilities and primary schools in three local government areas of Katsina, Daura and Funtua.
Meanwhile, the State government is to provide testing equipment on all the water works across the state.
This is to ease movement of water samples for test to gauge it’s quality.
The Managing director of the state water board, Dr Tukur Hassan Tangilin made this known during a special briefing on the 20 billion naira world Bank funded SURWASH program.
Tangilin said brand new high lift pumps would also be supplied and installed at Funtua and Malumfashi Water works as among other steps to ensure improved supply of clean and safe water to consumers.
He said the state government will also use part of the money on the laying of new pipelines inplace of the absolute ones abandoned for decades in all parts of the state.
The Managing director however declared that the water infrastructure project would be carried out in phases.