Katsina drills 1,000 boreholes, repairs 700 to tackle water-borne diseases – Gov. Masari

The Katsina State Government says it has drilled over 1,000 boreholes across the state to enhance access to potable water and prevent spread of water borne diseases in rural areas of the state.
Governor Aminu Masari said on Monday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Katsina that the administration had also repaired over 700 boreholes since coming into office in 2015.
Masari said: “In order to address water borne diseases like cholera and others, the government drilled over 1,000 boreholes and repaired over 700 boreholes since inception of the administration.
“It is not only water that causes cholera, during the first rainfall, the water will wash everything, all the dirt and deliver it to our water sources; some people use that unclean water without boiling or filtering it and in the process contract a lot of diseases.
“Again, some people take early vegetables that spring up immediately after first rain; the people do not properly wash these vegetables before eating them and the rain has not properly commenced to naturally wash the plants well.
“When people use them to cook food or eat it directly, that is another cause of cholera.’’
The governor said the government had also drilled over 52 solar boreholes and repaired 106 others across the state.
He said: “We are trying hard to make sure that the case of cholera and other water related diseases are eliminated through the supply of potable water to people of the state.”
Masari also said that the government had embarked on enlightenment programme on what the people should do to protect their health and avoid diseases.
He also explained that the state government was working to improve water supply to Ajiwa town, Muduru, Rimi and Matazu among other places in the state.
Masari noted that the Federal Government had resumed work on the water supply project from Zobe Dam in Dutsinma to communities in Katsina, Kankia and Charanchi Local Governments.
He added that the state government was working to improve urban water supply to Malumfashi and Funtua towns, saying that “the next stage in Malumfashi is to double the capacity of the water treatment plant”.
He said: “We have also rehabilitated and brought back to life the old Funtua Water Works that is now augmenting water supply from Gwaigwaye Dam to Funtua.”
According to the governor, the administration believes that the best way to tackle cholera and related diseases is to boost the supply of potable water to all communities across the state.