09-07-2025
'We dey drink from di same water wit our animals' - Community for Nigeria wey no get water for over 50 years
Dutsen Bakoshi na one village wey dey for Shanono local govment area for Kano State, northern Nigeria wey dey suffer well-well becos of lack of water wey dem go use to cook and drink, especially during dry season.
Most of di water wey pipo dey use for di village na from stream wey dey gada afta rain fall. Even to fetch di water, pipo go trek like one hour before dem reach wia dem go fetch am.
Na di same water wey dem dey use cook and drink, dia animals dey drink too from di same stream.
According to di pipo wey dey live for Dutsen Bakoshi village, di water wahala don tey since dia forefathers time, and even though dem don complain tire to govment, notin don change.
Dem tok say di worst time na during dry season, wen pipo go dey trek or travel go far to Shanono main headquarters or even Gwarzo local govment area, to find water. Dat time, some pipo fit stay one week witout baff, and schools go close so students fit help find water for dia family.
Fa'iza Yakubu Adam, na one young woman wey dey live for Dutsen Bakoshi village, she tell BBC Pidgin say di water problem dey really disturb dem life, especially for dry season.
"We no get clean water at all. Evri day we dey trek go stream go fetch water, and di water wey dey for raining season e no even clean," she tok.
Fa'iza still tok say di water wahala don dey since before dem born her:
"Even before dem born me, our village don dey suffer dis kain water problem, especially for dry season, and now dat di water dey, we dey waka far and for hours before we fit see water we go use, drink or cook."
She come add say as woman, di water problem dey affect her daily life.
"As woman, dis water wahala tin dey affect me well-well, especially for dry season. Woman suppose baff like two or three times a day, but sometimes I go just stay witout baff sake of say water no dey."
She also tok say many of dia school for di village dey close for dry season sake of water palava.
"For dry season school dey close so di students fit go fetch water for dem family."
Di District Head, Ibrahim Ahmad Dutse, still tell BBC Pidgin say dem don dey face dis water wahala for many years.
"Since our forefathers time, we don dey suffer dis water scarcity. Even befor dem born me, di problem dey."
Even though na rainy season now and water dey, e tok say di water no clean, and e dey affect dia health.
"Di water we dey drink now na di same one wey our animals dey drink, and e dey cause health wahala. Some pipo dey catch cholera, rashes for body and oda health walaha." Ahmad tok.
E still tok say dem don report di mata to govment many times, but notin happun.
"We don take our complaint to govment many times about dis water problem, but up till now, but notin change" im tok.
Meanwhile, BBC Pidgin don reach di Chairman of Shanono local govment, Abubakar Barau Shanono, and e tok say im sabi di water wahala wey dey, becos e don go Dutsen Bakoshi go check di place.
E tok say im survey six dams wey dey di area and dem dey try work on top dem so pipo go fit get clean water, even if na for half of di year.
"We don write letter give di govnor about di dams make govment come repair am so pipo go fit get clean water, even if na for half year, to reduce di water wahala wey dey worry dem."
Im still tok say dem don get help from some organizations wey help dem build two boreholes for Dutsen Bakoshi and pipo dey use dem now.
"We build two boreholes wit help from some organizations for some part of Dutsen Bakoshi, and pipo dey use dem now."
E still tok say im don write give Kano State Govnor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, to beg make dem build new boreholes and repair di ones wey don spoil, and di govnor don approve am.
As e be now, im tok say di areas wey still dey suffer water wahala, dem dey do survey to find better place to build borehole. Dem dey try dia best to end di water wahala, even if dem go need build am outside di village.
"For inside Dutse wey dey suffer pass, even if person dig borehole, water no go come out. Na why we no go just dig anyhow we go first make sure say water go dey before we build.
Di main wahala be say no mata how many millions you spend, you no go see water sake of di rocks.
Na why we wan check well before we build borehole. But for oda places wey we don build, we dey see water."
Water palava for Nigeria
Dutsen Bakoshi wahala na example of how Nigeria water system dey fail, wia plenty pipo still no get access to clean water.
According to di United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, dirty water and poor sanitation system for Nigeria dey cause plenty sickness and deaths for small pikin wey never reach five years.
Dem add say dirty water and bad hygiene dey cause diarrhoea wey dey kill over 70,000 children wey never reach five years evri year.
While di Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene National Outcome Routine Mapping, WASHNORM, tok say 69% of houses, na women and girls dey go fetch water, and many times na far place dem dey go. Dis one dey put dem for danger and dey affect dia health.
