As water scarcity bites harder in Sokoto, residents of the state are said to have developed the habit of chasing after moving water trucks to get supplies.

A source at the Sokoto Water Board says the unavailability of diesel and debts owed to contractors supplying water treatment chemicals, were causing scarcity.

The water board has not been able to pump water through the pipeline network since contractors stopped supplying expensive diesel to pump water.

The source further hinted that the contractors stopped supplying because of unpaid accumulated expenses by the state government.

Residents have been chasing after water tankers at Masallacin Shehu, Atiku UbanDoma, Sabon Birni, Aliyu Jodi and Kofar Kade, among other residential areas.

Other residents troop to the Water Board headquarters and water treatment plants on Illela Road to fetch water.

Some residents alleged that the board supplied adulterated water through the pipeline network until Thursday, when the supply stopped.

They alleged that the poor quality water was untreated, brownish and had a terrible taste.

When contacted on the phone, the general manager, Sokoto State Water Board, Isma’ila Umar-Sanda, expressed misgivings that journalists were only looking for negative stories.

He said newshounds were not approaching the board on its routine activities till things went bad, stressing that all hitches were temporary and efforts were being made to address them.

He also added that there was no Commissioner for Water Resources in the state.

In a statement issued by Muhammad Bello, Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs to Governor Aminu Tambuwal, said the governor was displeased with the situation.

“Only last week, the government gave N114 million to the water board to tackle the issue.

“It is surprising that the problem still persists; hence the governor’s decision that the state government will investigate what went wrong,” Mr Bello stated. 

(NAN)