Residents of Yanda Bayau community in Dambam local government area of Bauchi State have over the years shared a common source of drinking water with their animals as they struggle to survive acute water scarcity.
The residents said access to clean and portable drinking water can only be imagined and considered a wishful thinking by the villagers whose acute water scarcity (or absence of water) forces them to accept their “common destiny” with animals of lower species to quench their thirst.
Over the years, typical mornings in Yanda Bayau begin with a familiar routine. Teenagers—mostly young girls—set out on foot, while older residents mostly men push carts and wheelbarrows for long distances to fetch water from a puddle-turned-pond.
In his early 30s, Muhammad Auwal Abdullahi, a Yanda resident and a father of six, while sitting under the shade of a tree, with a worried look described how water challenge affects his family causing illnesses even in his whole community. He acknowledged that during the harmattan season, the experience is uniquely challenging.
Muhammad noted that the absence of clean water in the village forced many families to develop a local method to treat the turbid water in an attempt to minimise the harm in the water they consume daily in their lives.
He described the process as usually placing a transparent yard over a bucket or any available container to filter the water whose colour has been turned to brownish due to constant marching by humans and animals before adding alum for purification and final consumption.
According to him, his family, along with many other households in the village, has grown accustomed to consuming such puddle water and using it for their daily needs, despite its potential health implications.
In a rather weak tone, Muhammad recounted that their repeated struggles to inform local authorities about their predicament over the years have fallen on deaf ears.
“We have informed them many times. Everyone knows the difficulties we go through. During harmattan, it’s harmful to drink cold water, but we fetch it from the open pond, which causes us catarrh. Yet, we have no choice—it’s a necessity,” he lamented.
A Daily Struggle for Survival
For a large family like that of Malam Hashimu Sarkin Fada with 23 children, their lives have turned into a water scramble adding to the myriad of difficulties they already face in the village.
According to Sarkin Fada, the main challenge in Yanda and the neighbouring villages is not just the absence of water but also the depth of the water sources in the region, making it nearly impossible for them to dig wells as alternatives.
“Our main challenge is water. Yanda and its neighboring villages are all affected. It’s due to the depth of our wells. With wells as deep as 68 meters, it’s impossible to fetch water from them.
He was worried that many illnesses in the surrounding villages and hamlets could be attributed to their source of water for daily consumption.
Few years ago, in communities around Yanda, he explained, Solar-powered boreholes were constructed. Sadly, he added, apart from being inadequate, they all shortly stopped working and their efforts to fix them were not successful.“There is one in Kogo village, Karna, Jakum, and Kulus, and we are really suffering. Imagine having a guest and not being able to offer them water”.
A Community in Crisis
Buba Ibrahim, also known as Ajiyan Yanda, said the problem has existed for ages even before he was born. He said the last time their solar borehole dispensed water was two years ago.
“Since I grew up, the village has been in this situation, and the solar-powered boreholes are not working. We only fetch water from that dam. It was a small pond before, but now it has been expanded on the ground. Some people drink the water without treatment, but others add alum to purify it.
He added that after the community communicated their challenge to the local government authorities in Dambam, officials visited the village to assess the borehole’s condition and removed the pipe, but never returned, leaving the residents languishing in their agony.
With fragile and low immunity, children are the most vulnerable victims of the situation. Ajiya told WikkiTimes that children in the village frequently suffer from diarrhea which they attribute to consuming very unhealthy water as many parents may not bear the burden of boiling it all the time before giving it to their kids. He added “even if you can boil it, sometimes kids will drink it outside without your knowledge as a parent, thus affecting their education and overall well-being.”
With strong faith, Ajiyan Yanda once again urged the state government to provide clean water in the village.
As the economy continues to bite harder, Ali M. Yakubu, a resident of Bakin Kasuwan Duffa in Yanda, explained that their struggle to access water adds to their list of problems. He noted that after heavy rains flooded their wells forcing them to rely on water vendors who supply the community. He highlighted that many villagers are unable to draw water from their wells and money to buy the borehole water.
He narrated the difficulty they faced while trying to revive an old well and their borehole “Rain flooded our well, and we spent a week digging it out before we could reach water again. Technicians tried installing pipes from a solar-powered borehole, but no water came through. Currently, in this village, we buy three gallons of water for N100, he explained in a subdued voice.
The Women Story
Women in Yanda village bear the heaviest burden. Malama Zulai, a housewife and mother of one explained that, out of necessity, she managed to treat and purify the water before drinking subject to availability of alum but often drinks without treatment.
“we struggle to get water because the pond is the only source, you, as a guest won’t be able to drink it because of how turbid it was, the puddle water can even make us sick”.
Another housewife, a 35-year old nursing mother, Marka Buba, said, “The water makes our stomach swollen which comes with diarrhea and children fall sick as a result of that, sometimes to take the children to the hospital is difficult too”. She lamented.
Health Implication
Usman Adamu Dankura, a primary healthcare officer in Yanda highlighted that even with nutritious food, clean water is essential for healthy living. He noted that in Yanda village, they have seen an increase in the number of patients, mostly due to drinking contaminated water.
“We see a rise in the number of patients we receive in this hospital, mostly with abdominal pain. When we took their blood samples, the results showed it was typhoid fever. You know the pond is in an open space, which has also contributed to the spread of malaria in the village.
“Occasionally, we record cases of diarrhea, but it’s not prevalent. Sometimes it’s hard to ascertain the level of the outbreak because some villagers go to other hospitals, while others use traditional remedies to treat themselves at home. But there are still cases.”
The health officer confirmed that all the neighboring villages rely on a pond or dugwell as their source of water which is very dangerous for their wellbeing.
Girls transporting water from the pond
Authorities React
Yanda Ward councillor , the closest official to the community, acknowledged the challenge in the village but declined to comment until he secures approval from Dambam LGA Chairman.
Animals drink from the pond
WikkiTimes efforts to speak with the Chairman Hon. Yakubu Garba Tela proved abortive as he has not responded to the text messages sent to his mobile number. He did not pick phone calls made to him.
When contacted, Bauchi State Commissioner for Water Resources, Hon. Abdurrazak Nuhu Zaki, said his ministry had not received any complaints or demands from the Yanda community. He further stated that the community should submit their demands in writing to his ministry for government intervention.
In its 2024 Budget, Bauchi State Government has allocated the sum of N3,245,000,000.00 to Bauchi State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), an agency responsible for providing water and oversight for the rural water and sanitation in the state.
The Water, Sanitation & Hygiene National Outcome Routine Mapping survey noted that access to safely managed drinking water supply services remains inadequate in the North, with the Northeast having the lowest.
“Access for the rural population is at 6 %, four times lower than access levels for the urban population at 27 %. Access to Water Supply Services Up to 87 % (179 million) of Nigerians do not have access to safely managed drinking water services.
