The Kebbi State Government has announced major headway in its push to breathe life back into the Birnin Kebbi waterworks, raising hopes of a steady return to normal water supply in the state capital.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Yakubu Bala-Tafida, disclosed this on Thursday during an on-the-spot assessment of the ongoing rehabilitation work at the facility in Birnin Kebbi.
According to him, Governor Nasir Idris had swung into action by setting up a special task force to fast-track the revival of the waterworks serving Birnin Kebbi township.
He explained that the task force brings together the SSG, the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed-BK, officials from the Ministry of Water Resources, security agencies and technical experts from the Kebbi State Water Board.
Bala-Tafida said the inspection revealed encouraging signs of progress, noting that the government was leaving nothing to chance.
He said, “we have seen remarkable progress in the effort to resuscitate the waterworks.
“We will remain on ground until everything that needs to be done is completed.”
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Water Resources, Alhaji Isah Arzika, shed light on the setback that slowed operations, explaining that engineers discovered a major burst at the Dukki waterworks shortly after the lifting phase on Wednesday.
He said that by the time engineers arrived at the scene, the lifting machines had already been swallowed by floodwater, but prompt intervention ensured they were shut down to limit damage.
Arzika added that pumping machines were quickly procured and deployed to drain the flooded sections of the facility.
He noted that “fortunately, the evacuation was completed by about 11 p.m. yesterday.
“As you can see, the six intake machines are now visible and no longer submerged.”
The permanent secretary further revealed that a team of engineers was already working on dismantling the machines, moving them out for thorough drying and testing.
Expressing confidence in the process, he said, “We are confident that the machines will function properly after drying and testing. Whatever needs to be done will be done.”
He appealed to residents to exercise patience, assuring them that the state government was pulling out all stops to restore water supply as soon as possible.
On his part, the General Manager of the Kebbi State Water Board, Alhaji Zayyanu Shehu, reassured residents that full water supply would be restored within one week, signaling light at the end of the tunnel for the water-starved capital.
