By Stephen Enoch
Water is life.
The scarcity of water to meet the demands of household usage is life-threatening in some communities in Kano. The shortage of safe and potable water in Gogel and Yandachi communities of Warawa Local Government Area (LGA) in Kano has hidden consequences in different shapes and forms. Stephen Enoch visited in the communities and files this report.
Eleven kilometers from the ancient city of Kano, a quiet tragedy unfolds in Gogel and Yandachi communities of Warawa Local Government Area (LGA).
Gogel is predominantly inhabited by the Hausa/Fulani ethnic group, and the Hausa language is widely spoken. The local economy is vibrant, with significant activities in farming, pottery, and animal rearing.
Key crops grown in the area include sorghum, sugarcane, tomatoes, onions, and groundnuts, and the primary form of business here is trading in goods.
Water scarcity is a significant issue in the community, impacting daily life and contributing to the community’s struggle to achieve sustainable development.
The primary source of water is far from safe; it is contaminated with greenish substances such as Hydrilla and Algae. This pond water serves both humans and livestock.
With little or no means of purification, the residents drink this polluted water, committing themselves to the health risks it poses.
In Gogel, the primary source of water is an open well filled with greenish, unclean water.
Despite the warnings from health officials, the community members of Gogel have no alternative but to drink the contaminated water.
The pond, teeming with microorganisms and aquatic plants, has become the lifeline for the community, its dangers are ignored out of sheer desperation.
At the pond, this reporter caught up with a group of teenagers fetching contaminated water.
Garba Salim unaware of the dangers of consuming contaminated water affirmed that “The water does not affect me. I drink it every day,”
He demonstrated by drinking the water. “As you can see, I am fine, take a sip, it won’t harm you,” he said humorously.
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But Suyudi Saleh, another resident, acknowledges the health crises caused by the unclean water.
“I grew up in this community seeing people drinking this water, but because I am fortunate to live close to a handheld water pump, I do not have to drink this dirty water or use it for any purpose.
“Recently, some children fall ill because of the bad water; they were taken to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital. I am afraid of consuming this water because it has caused so much pain to children.
“Cholera and other unknown illnesses have been ravaging this community because of this dirty water, but those who cannot afford sachet water or trek the distance resort to drinking it.”
Hajara Musa, a housewife, confirms the illnesses caused by the contaminated water.
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“I am aware that some people give their children this water, and it has caused illnesses for children.
“When the dry season comes, most of the boreholes dry up, so, we rely on that open source of water.
43-year-old Tajudeen Gogel, a farmer in Gogel, told our correspondent that he grew up drinking from the pond, although he was infected with so many illnesses, he has no better option.
“Till date, I still drink this water and I use it to water my plants as well as my cattle and goats.
“I am aware of the health risks of drinking this water but I know that my body system has gotten used to it; before I can get ill from drinking this water, it will take a long time.”
Consumption of unsafe water in these communities has led to outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as cholera and dysentery. The lack of clean water and proper sanitation facilities contributes to high rates of illness and mortality.
In 2023, the French Development Agency (AFD) provided N28.45 billion (€64.75 million) to support the Kano Water project. Despite this funding, many communities in the state Yandachi and Gogel still lack access to clean water.
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The Federal Ministry of Water Resources in 2018, signed a partnership agreement for the Expanded Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene (PEWASH) program with the Kano State Government where N12.7 billion allocated to the project would significantly enhance water supply access in the state’s rural areas .
We took water samples from Gogel community and subjected it to a Test for Coliform (a test that is used determine the cleanliness and the presence of harmful pathogens in water) conducted by MAMS Consultancy Services, Kano.
The Test for Coliform results of the test showed that the water consumed by the communities was unsafe and contaminated with harmful microorganisms.
According to the test result, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, one of the most dangerous bacteria known to cause inward fever, vomiting, and abdominal pain, was present in high proportion.
The water also contains a high concentration of a group of microorganisms, indicating, among other things, faecal contamination and the presence of harmful, disease-causing organisms. These organisms are known as coliforms.
According to Abdu Nasir the examiner, when these species are present in high proportion in any drinking water, they often cause life-threatening diseases such as typhoid, dysentery, hepatitis and others.
The current State Commissioner of Health, Dr Abubakar Yusuf, shed light on the situation.
He emphasized that there is no confirmed case of cholera at the moment, dispelling rumors speculating that there is cholera in Kano.
According to him, what the ministry is aware of is a gastroenteric entity but not confirmed cholera.
“We have informed the public about cholera because it is a disease that can kill in hours as it dehydrates persons and makes them lose a lot of water through vomiting and diarrhea.
“We have set up an emergency preparedness and response team which has been activated since the speculations about cholera arose and the increased number of deaths for no reason.
“Findings from the committee revealed that the cause of the unknown deaths was heat, malaria, and suspected cerebral spinal meningitis.
“During this cholera scourge in the country, we alerted our EPR team, and we are doing our best to prevent an outbreak of cholera in the state and also handle it effectively if such happens.”
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Yandachi, a small village of about 50 minutes trek from Gogel is characterized by its rural setting and reliance on agriculture as the primary economic activity. Residents engage in farming, cultivating crops such as sorghum, maize, and groundnuts.
The community’s sole solar-powered borehole, located along Yandachi Road, was commissioned by Dr Kabiru Getso, the former commissioner for Environment, on 17 September 2021.
The borehole now barely produces enough water for even a single household, let alone the entire village.
The children of Yandachi rise before dawn to embark on a grueling search for water, making them stay out of school.
Their small feet traverse several kilometers daily, burdened with heavy buckets and jerrycans, only to return home late in the afternoon, exhausted and hungry.
The dream of quality education, if any, slips further away with each step they take, replaced by the harsh reality of survival in a community where water is scarce.
In the arid community of Yandachi, 52-year-old Yusuf Sa’adu faces an agonizing reality that has not only disrupted daily life but also forced his five school-aged children to abandon their education.
The scarcity of clean water has not only disrupted daily life but has also forced five of school-aged children to abandon school.
“A lot of children in this community have stopped going to school because, in the morning, they have to walk as far as 3-4 kilometers to find water in Na’ibawa, a neighbouring community.
“If there is too much of a queue and water gets finished before their turn, they have to go as far as Gogel, to get water, which is usually unclean and unsafe,” Yusuf laments.
According to him, his children leave the house at 7 a.m. and return by noon, exhausted and too late for school.
“When the borehole used to work, our children go to school, but now, it is a sad reality we have to grapple with. There is a shallow well where we used to get water, but it has dried up.
“We hope that when the rains intensify, it will refill, giving us some succour, even though it will be unclean water,” he said.
Yusuf’s pain is palpable as he describes his dreams for his children.
“I want my children to become public figures who will help the poor and change the situation of this village, but it is only a dream that might not come true because if they don’t go to school, how can they become someone influential in society?
“My dreams for them might just remain in my imagination, but I sincerely hope that our situation will change for the better so that they will have a better life.”
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Six-year-old Abdulmumuni Sa’adu, Yusuf’s son, shares his story.
“I want to be a civil engineer so that I can build better houses in my village, construct good roads, and provide potable water for the community.
“My parents always send us to fetch water every day; the situation makes it impossible to go to school.
“I only receive Islamic lessons that my father teaches me at home. I am not the only one who does not attend school in this community. I have other friends who do not attend school because we always set out to find water in the morning.”
Many communities in Kano State suffer from limited access to potable water, leading to increased health risks and school dropouts.
In Kano, children in rural communities, often spend hours fetching water, which directly impacts their school attendance. This is particularly true for girls, who are more likely to be tasked with fetching water.
Many children in these areas miss out on education due to the time spent fetching, exacerbating educational disparities and limiting future opportunities.
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This reporter took a tour of Naibawa and other neighboring communities where residents of Yandachi get water from and saw Maimuna Sani during school hours in a queue waiting for her turn to get water.
Maimuna who no longer goes to school narrates:
“I have to obey my parent who have sent me to fetch water for the family. As we speak, they are at home waiting for me to bring the water so that they can cook and use it for other domestic chores.
“I don’t attend school again, and I do not know how I will achieve my dream of becoming a Nurse in the future.
“As for now, I will continue supporting my parents, and if it is the will of Allah to become a Nurse, it will surely come to pass,” Maimuna said.
Today, even with reports that Kano residents have access to drinking water, the presence of unclean water in Gogel still poses severe health risks as community members awaits any form of intervention, while the scarcity has forced Yandachi children to turned education into an unattainable dream.