Phase two of Zaria Water Supply and Expansion Project in Kaduna State, Nigeria has been commissioned. President Muhammadu Buhari performed the commissioning ceremony and said that the government had spent US $32.7m towards the project.
The proposed Zaria Water project aims at contributing towards government’s efforts to increase access to water supply and sanitation from the current level of 54% for water and 32% for sanitation to 100% access by 2020.
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Zaria Water Supply and Expansion Project
The water project is an culmination of joint efforts of the Federal Government, Kaduna State Government, Islamic Development Bank and the African Development Bank. The project involved construction of a multipurpose 186.1 million cubic metres Galma Dam. Phase one was commissioned in 2017, by the then national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Zaria water treatment plant has the capacity of 150 million litres of water per day. It is expected to once and for all solve the water shortage problem in Zaria metropolis and its environs. The area’s current water level is at 30%.
The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has placed high priority on the development of safe and adequate water supply and sanitation services as a key instrument for fighting poverty and accelerating socio-economic development in the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS), Nigeria’s Vision 2020 and State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (SEEDS).
Currently, service coverage in urban areas in Nigeria is approximately 54%, and rural
coverage is estimated to be 35% of actual demand for water supply. Water production
facilities in urban areas are rarely operated to capacity due to broken down equipment, or lack of power or fuel for pumping.
