By Abdullahi Salihu Sidi
Every morning, 16-year-old Fatima Muhammad walks the dusty paths of Pindiga, a rural community in Akko Local Government Area of Gombe State, with a bucket balanced on her head. Her destination is “Ruwan Madagascar,” a reddish, contaminated pond that has become the community’s only reliable water source.
“This is what we use for everything,” Fatima told WikkiTimes, standing by the pond. “Drinking, cooking, washing. I often fall sick, and the doctors say it’s because of this water. But we have no choice.”
For decades, residents of Pindiga have depended on the pond despite the obvious health risks. The water is untreated, visibly unsafe, and yet, hundreds of households draw from it daily.
“In the whole of Pindiga, there is no area where this water is not used,” said Baba Tasala, another resident. “We buy alum to make it look cleaner before drinking. But when there’s no money, we drink it raw.”
Tasala recounted how her daughter, who had undergone surgery, was warned by doctors to avoid unsafe water. “But what can we do? This is all we have,” she said.
Billions Spent, Yet No Clean Water
Government records reviewed by WikkiTimes show that between 2022 and 2024, the Gombe State Government budgeted more than ₦22 billion for water projects. However, actual releases and performance varied, leaving gaps that have failed to translate into clean water for rural communities like Pindiga.
In 2022, the state allocated ₦11.1 billion for water projects, spending ₦8.6 billion (77 percent). In 2023, the budget fell to ₦4.9 billion, of which only ₦2.8 billion was spent. By 2024, ₦5.7 billion was budgeted across water agencies, but performance was uneven: the State Water Board spent 3 billion, while the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) managed just 1.4 billion.
Despite these figures, residents of Pindiga say they have seen no improvements. Letters to local authorities, according to the Wakili of Pindiga, Alhaji Ibrahim Mu’azu Hassan, have gone unanswered. “The biggest problem we face in Pindiga is water. Life is unbearable without access to clean water,” he said.
A Health Crisis
Local health workers warn that the community’s reliance on the Madagascar pond is fuelling preventable diseases.
“This water contains harmful bacteria,” said Dr. Bello Abdulqadir of General Hospital, Pindiga. “We treat typhoid and cholera cases regularly here. Typhoid alone can lead to intestinal perforation if untreated, and cholera kills within hours, especially among children.”
The World Health Organization estimates that cholera infects up to 4 million people globally each year, while typhoid causes up to 20 million cases and more than 160,000 deaths.
For families like that of Shafa’atu Umar, a mother of three, these statistics are a lived reality. “Every sickness we suffer, the doctors say it’s from the water. But there are no alternatives,” she said.
A “Temporary” Solution Becomes Permanent
The pond, dug years ago after complaints to the local government, was never meant to be a permanent solution. “It was meant to be temporary,” said the Wakili. “But today, it is our only source.”
The reliance on Madagascar pond reveals the failures of successive interventions. In 2023, Governor Inuwa Yahaya established the Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (TOWASA) to serve communities like Pindiga. But the agency, officials admit, has yet to receive funding.
“We have boreholes in Pindiga, but none are functional because we cannot maintain them,” said Abubakar Puma, General Manager of TOWASA. “This agency was created two years ago, but we have not received money to work. If we had funding, Pindiga would not still depend on this pond.”
“We Are Left Behind”
The story of Pindiga reflects broader water access challenges across northern Nigeria. According to the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, only 74.4 percent of households in the North West and 80.5 percent in the North East reported access to drinking water when needed, both below the national average of 81 percent.
A separate study found that just 13 percent of water sources in the region are safe for consumption without further treatment.
For now, children in Pindiga still fetch water from the Madagascar pond, a symbol of survival in the absence of state intervention. “We are left behind,” said Tasala. “They say money is budgeted every year, but here in Pindiga, we only drink sickness.”
