The Borno State Government has overcome the scarcity of water with the completion of Dalori treatment plant and sinking of 500 boreholes in the state. The supply and distribution of potable water in the state, was achieved with the implementation of a draft on water policy. These were made known by the Ministry of Water Resources Permanent Secretary, Hajiya Mairo Bunu Lawan to mark 2021 World Water Day with the theme tagged: “Valuing Water,” in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital. According to her, the policy is to address issues raised during the over a decade long Boko Haram insurgency in the state. She listed the issues to include data capture of water consumers and collection of outstanding water revenues. “Instead of paying monthly water rates individually, cluster payments are made in various communities,” she said, noting that it is cheaper to pay in clusters than individual households. According to her, cluster payments for water rates, could address gender-based violence among girls and women, including child labour. She noted that taking potable water to the doorsteps of people, the construction of earth dams and indiscriminate sinking of boreholes may not arise in any part of the state. While lamenting recede of Lake Chad, she said:
“To address the receding of the lake, it should be recharged by member countries of Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC),” adding that this will enable the lake to have more water for Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria and Niger. On water supply challenges, she said that the sectors that suffered most from insurgency; are the water supply infrastructural facilities and workers. She noted that during the over a decade long insurgency, the state government could not train or employ workers for the water supply sector. “The few workers at our disposal are reluctant and fearful to run the functional boreholes in Maiduguri metropolis and other council areas,” she said. She said insurgency has created shortages of manpower and resorted to the engagement of volunteers to provide potable water to the people. Besides, she added that the state government has no control over the volunteers in the supply and distribution of water. She added that other challenges of providing water include expensive procurements of chemicals and diesel for the treatment plants and 500 boreholes. On the water sector’s recorded success, Mairo stated that; “With the two- month plunge of Borno into darkness, water is being supplied without any complaints on interruption or scarcity,” noting that water scarcity has not been reported in the media. She said that the water treatment plant along Bama road, provided 60% of water demands in the state, while 98% of water pumping machines are functional. “This informed the state government to commence phase II of the water treatment plant,” she said.
