As scarcity of water continue to bite harder in Gusau the capital city of Zamfara residents laments how they trek a distance of kilometers in search for water.
According to a resident Lawali Isah Birnin Ruwa it has been some days without water board supplying water to the main city of Gusau and that add-in to the suffering of the households especially in this holy month of Ramadan.
He said for those who can afford to buy the water from the vendors, the price has almost doubled even as people had to book for hours before they are supplied with the water.
Another woman interviewed Fatima Sani said the majority of the alternative sources of water including local wells and boreholes are dried even as some households manage the little water available to conduct house activities during this period of Ramadan.
A tanker driver interviewed said for the past six days there has never been water supply by the Water Board since the water pumping machines have technical default.
He added that they travelled at distance to pay and fetch the water they supplied to people at exorbitant prices adding that based on the information they have the technical team of the Gusau Water Board are on top of the situation.
A source at the State water board who wanted not to be named said, only one out of the water pumping machines is functioning not until when the Federal Ministry of Water Resources came to the aid of the state government by fixing another additional broken machine noting that as at now he is not sure if they are of good shape.
He added that for now the chemicals needed for the water treatment have ended and that the government is yet to provide them as on friday.
He also said the difficulty in pumping water for the reserves tanks were also another factors as it took up to six hours to full tank each of the tanks that are situated along Anguwan Gwaza, Samaru opposite NTA, Sabuwar Hanya and MTD.
An attempt to speak to the Commissioner for Water Resources Alh Maiturare Bungudu failed as several calls made to his phone were not answered. He has also not replied the text messages sent to his phone.
But in a related development, State Commissioner for Finance Sufiyanu Bashir Yuguda has engaged the services of water tank drivers to provide alternative water to residents of Gusau free of charge.
Critical locations such as the mosque where Itikaf is holding, and other larger areas such as Kanwuri, Birnin Ruwa, Bakin Kasuwa, Anguwar Gwaza and many other places were supplied with water through the use of commercial water tankers.
One of the aids to the Commissioner said, while the government is working harder to fix the technical problem at the Gusau water board, the Commissioner felt there was the need to compliment the effort of the government in providing an alternative source of water for the people.
He said though the government is on top of the situation, the effort of supplying water to the people through the use of commercial tankers would be sustained by the Finance Commissioner.
