WATER and the environment are of great importance to mankind. No wonder it is said that water breeds life. For this reason, any effort at achieving the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) without providing water and protecting the environment is a waste.
The understanding of this, vis-à-vis the urgency of time in meeting the MDGs targets of 2015, explains why the administration of Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo in Gombe State has given attention to both issues since assuming office on May 29, 2011. The administration has, therefore, sunk billion of naira into water and environmental projects that are of world standard.
As at the time Dankwambo assumed office, only a few could drink from the N8 billion Gombe Regional Water Supply Scheme. But the story is no longer the same as the supply of water has not only been properly addressed, but extended beyond the Gombe metropolis.
Even in the metropolis, water supply was a serious problem before Dankwambo assumed office. Places, such as Barunde, Bagadaza, Riyal, among others, which suffered water shortage, are now beneficiaries.
The water expansion scheme, therefore, covers Gadam, Garin Kwami, Bojude,Tappi and Komfulata in Kwami Local Government Area. Work in these areas has reached advanced stage and the perennial water scarcity in the areas will soon be a thing of the past.
The Commissioner of Water Resources and the Environment Mallam Idris Mahdi said the Dankwambo administration embarked on various projects to ensure that all parts of the state are covered by water supply, latest in 2014. This, no doubt, will be timely, as the dateline for the attainment of MDGs is 2015.
“We have the Gombe North water scheme extension and rehabilitation, which comprises extending water to the suburbs of Gombe.
“Prior to the coming of the Dankwambo administration, not more than a third of Gombe was covered by water scheme. So, there was need for places that were entitled to get water but not connected to water supply in Gombe water supply to be connected, though we call it Gombe North Water Scheme.
“The areas include BCGA, Bogo, Nasarawo, Malam Inna, London Maidorowa, Bagadaza, Riyal, Tumfure, which were not connected to a water scheme.
“But the new water scheme, that is the rehabilitation and expansion of Gombe water scheme, which came on stream in 2012, covers these areas. It is extended to other places outside Gombe, such as Kwami, Gadam, Tapi and Bojude towns and environs of Kwami Local Government Area of the state,” he said.
Apart from that project, the government, in this year’s budget, plans to begin the expansion of the water treatment plant at Gombe North. It will spend about N1.3 billion on it. The project will be an extension of water from Tumfure to the airport.
Thus, for the first time, residents of Tumfure and all the settlements along the route to the airport will have potable water.
A place known for its notorious water scarcity is Dukku with its environs.
The Dankwambo administration finished the documentation last year for the Dukku Water Scheme and the project will begin soon. The water source from Gombe Abba will be utilised, with a mini-plant, pumping facility and a reservoir for the distribution of water to Dukku and its environs.
In Nafada Local Government Area, the infiltration gallery is being maintained by the government for steady supply of water in the town and its environs.
Though there is no big water scheme in Funakaye Local GovernmentArea, many hand pumps, solar-powered boreholes and manual boreholes have been drilled in towns and villages of the council to ensure constant water supply.
It would sound ironical that many towns and villages in Yamaltu Deba Local Government Area are facing problems of water supply, despite their location in the same area with Dadin Kowa Dam, the source of Gombe Greater Water Supply.
There are, therefore, plans by the government to provide towns and villages in the area, such as Shinga, Wade, Kinafa, Gwani, Lubo and other settlements, with potable water to address the problem.
Similarly, as part of efforts to address water scarcity in the Southern part of the state, the government has initiated the Gombe South Regional Water Scheme, which will have its source from the Balanga Dam in Balanga Local Government Area.
The project is envisaged to draw water from Balanga Dam; it will cover Balanga, Billiri, Kaltungo, Shongom local governments and parts of Akko.
Though still at consultancy and documentation stage, the project is expected to gulp about N18 billion. By the time it is completed, communities in Gombe South and part of Akko Local Government Area will no longer experience water scarcity. Farmers will also use the facilities to irrigate their farms, as the area has an estimated capacity of 172 million cubic metres of water.
Other values to be derived from the dam include generation of a mini power project, estimated at 1.5 megawatts, to power the water supply scheme and surrounding villages, irrigation and fishing projects.
Before the execution of the Gombe South regional water scheme, the government felt that, as a matter of urgency and as temporary solution, water should be supplied to Tula, a historic community with water problems.
In fact, for several years, the community, with a large population, had relied on one borehole which was provided through communal effort.
Therefore, to fulfil its campaign promises, the Dankwambo administration has embarked on the Tula interim water supply project, where six boreholes were drilled to solve the age-long water problem in the area pending the execution of Gombe South water scheme.
Pleased with the availability of water in the town during the drilling of the six boreholes, Governor Dankwambo directed that additional three boreholes be drilled in the town.
The governor’s strong desire to diversify the income base, especially with regards to agriculture, gave impetus to the ‘desilting’ of the 42 kilometres of irrigation trench constructed along with the multipurpose dam. At the moment, about 24 kilometres is already ‘desilted’ and being put to use by farmers in the area.
The state Water Board as well the State Water and Sanitation Agency have been active in drilling boreholes and hand pumps, water schemes where greater water schemes do not reach the residents. This complementary effort can be seen in several towns and villages across the state.
Another area in which the present administration has made tremendous impact is tree planting. This is to mitigate the effects of desert encroachment. The government has embarked on massive planting of trees seedlings for free distribution to interested individuals, organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
“Last year, over one million seedlings were distributed and our main objectives is to have the trees planted because they cannot be used for any other purpose,” Mahdi said.
Besides distribution of seedlings, the government has been also been at the forefront of cultivating trees by planting them along the roadsides and other public places. But the bigger demonstration is the creation of woodlots across the state. So far, six woodlots spread across 30 hectares have been developed and arrangements have been concluded to continue in subsequent rainy seasons.
To sustain the trend, government is embarking on aggressive tree planting campaigns while systematically fashioning punitive measures against those directly or indirectly involved in flagrant deforestation, especially in prohibited areas.
For instance, a village head was recently deposed for selling off a government-owned forest reserve located in his domain on the Gombe-Bauchi highway. The forest was retrieved from the buyer without any compensation. This is to underscore the importance of afforestation in the state.
Battling with the problem of deforestation on one hand, the Gombe State Government, despite its lean resources, is tackling erosion and flooding on the other hand. It is true that no life ought to be lost due to certain action or inaction of man. But the four residents, livestock, arable lands and farms lost in last year’s flood in the state are minimal compared to the 17 deaths and other losses recorded during the August 20, 2004 flooding in the state.
This is due to the proactive steps taken by the Dankwambo-led administration before the rains set in. The government plans to spend over N500million on erosion control project.
Presently, proper channeling and redirection of flood has gulped huge sums of money.
Before these projects, the government had embarked on clearing of drains and waterways in parts of the Gombe metropolis. This has become a continuous exercise; it has been observed that blocked waterways accounted for the unfortunate incidents in the past, even as it is in tandem with the saying that “cleanliness is next to godliness”.
As an experiment, 400 plastic waste bins were initially provided for sanitation in Gombe township. But due to the challenges the residents faced, the bins are being changed to bigger metal incinerators to avoid being stolen, rundown by vehicles or burnt through careless deposition of fire into them.
Four heavy duty waste disposal vehicles and a number of tractors were procured to dispose off the waste bins on a daily basis. Also, a firm has been contracted to daily clean the major roads and streets as well as the drains, even as the Gombe State Environmental Protection Agency (GOSEPA) is being reorganised to make it more proficient and effective in handling its responsibilities.
Gombe is practically the least on the Federation Account’s chart and one of those generating the poorest internal revenue. Therefore, to imagine that this giant stride is made in barely two years amidst other urgent competing demands is awesome. No wonder the Speaker House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, during a recent visit to the state, praised Governor Dankwambo for the giant strides his administration has made in all sectors, despite the fact that the state gets one of the smallest federal allocations.
The government, has no doubt, proved that it is determined to solve one of the nagging problems of the state – water scarcity – as can be seen from the various projects it has been executing.
• Dahiru writes from Gombe
