Jutha Gupah, Damaturu.
The Damaturu N6.4 billion Federal Government water project is to distribute 810 million litres of potable water to residents a month.
The water project is sited in Damaturu, the state capital with the completion of three water pumping stations in Sunsumma, Nayinawa and Mallamatari communities.
Unveiling the water project’s capacity, yesterday (Sunday), in Damaturu, the Commissioner of Water Resources, Alkali Jajere, disclosed: “Twenty seven million litres of potable water would be treated and distributed daily under the first phase of the water project.”
He added that the Federal Government funded project was expected to be completed in April this year.
The Damaturu water project comprises the construction of three work stations with a daily capacity to treat and distribute 27 million litres of potable water daily to residents that had been facing scarcity for three decades.
Speaking on the water network of the project, he said: “It comprises three sites with each has 10 industrial boreholes,” stating that they are powered by solar, standby generators and the National Grid of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
“Each sites has the capacity to treat and distribute nine million litres of potable water daily.”
Meanwhile, he said that the stations had already pumped over six million litres of water to the underground reservoir of the State’s Water Corporation Agency.
He said that a three-million litre water capacity overhead water tank, is currently under construction by the Agency.
Continued; “The State government on its part, also funded the completion of the water reticulation project in Damaturu and its environs.”
The commissioner said the state, on its part, funded the just completed reticulation of the entire Damaturu and its environs, ahead of the project completion period.
He noted that the completion of the Damaturu Water Project (DWAP) will address the scarcity of potable water faced by the increasing population that stood at 2.32 million.
According to him, the second phase of the project included the construction of an earth dam at Damagum, 70 kilometres east of Damaturu.
“This is to consolidate the ongoing water project across the state,” he said, adding that the dam would also be a major water point for livestock and farmers to irrigate their crops during the dry season.
He said that the reticulation project would be extended to several communities including Buni/Gari, Babbangida, Kukareta and Ngelzarma along the Damaturu-Kano road.
