Kano Govt to regulate borehole drilling to prevent abuse
The Kano State Government says it plans to regulate drilling of boreholes to check the abuse of underground water across the state.
The State’s Commissioner for Water Resources,Alhaji Umar Doguwa, said this when he unveiled 10 new Water Pumps at the Tamburawa Water Treatment Plant on Saturday in Tamburawa.
Doguwa said the government would no longer condone the situation where people were drilling boreholes indiscriminately in their houses and other places,thus tampering with the underground water.
“You will notice in our towns now that open wells have dried up because the boreholes being drilled around have diverted the underground water.We will not allow this to continue.
“And a situation where somebody will build many houses in one place and drill a borehole for each of the houses is madness, absolute madness and we are not going to condone that,” Doguwa said.
He said that such practices were tampering with the state’s underground water and over using it, and definitely we are going to monitor and regulate it.
He said the underground water belongs to the government which had the mandate to regulate and monitor its use.
“It is our water,we have to know what you are using, you have to pay us; and we have to monitor it strictly,”the commissioner said.
He also warned industries, commercial centres and individuals who are abusing treated water, particularly those diverting it for farming activities to desist from such,or face the wrath of the government.
“People are yearning for drinking water, yet some individuals illegally channel treated water to their farms. We are investigating those responsible, and if necessary, we will seize lands found engaging in such practices,” he said.
He said that the 10 high-capacity Water Pumps unveiled at the ceremony would be installed at the Tamburawa and Challawa Water Treatment Plants to boost water supply in the state.
