From Njadvara Musa, Maiduguri
Residents of Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) and Jere Local Council in Borno State have expressed joy following the inauguration of 25 water projects by Governor Babagana Zulum in their communities.
The residents, who had endured months of water scarcity, said the governor’s intervention would bring much-needed relief. They praised Zulum’s swift response to the crisis, which had severely affected their daily lives and disrupted education and livelihoods.
Since September of last year, floods have damaged water facilities in the affected areas, forcing residents to spend hours searching for clean drinking water. Community leaders reported that livelihoods have declined by as much as 65 per cent due to this situation.
The new water projects, commissioned on Sunday in Maiduguri, are expected to ease the burden on residents. The governor was represented at the inauguration by Dr Mohammed Musa Aliyu, General Manager of the Borno State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA).
Aliyu announced that an additional 50 upper aquifer boreholes had been approved for other water-stressed communities across the state. He explained that the 25 boreholes already completed and reticulated would supply over 650,000 litres of clean water daily.
He noted that over 80 per cent of lower aquifer boreholes in the state were drilled by previous administrations dating back to 1985 and had become obsolete.
To improve efficiency, the new and refitted boreholes are powered by 50-horsepower solar panels, ensuring sustainable pumping and distribution to households, markets, and public institutions, including hospitals.
Highlighting the water supply interventions, Aliyu said: “The state government has constructed 25 new boreholes in Maiduguri and its environs. Out of these, 10 were completed in Mafoni community, which was the most affected during the September flood disasters.”
He added that five of the boreholes in Mafoni were newly constructed, while five others were rehabilitated or upgraded to provide safe potable water. The completed projects also included 10 reticulated boreholes supplying water to the Mafoni area and the Gwoza market in central Maiduguri.
