Kano’s Water Crisis: Time to move beyond promises, by Engr. Kabir Bashir Shariff

For decades, residents of Kano have lived with a persistent and worsening water crisis. What should have been treated as a state emergency has instead become a normalized hardship.

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In a city of over 10 million people, access to clean and reliable water remains uncertain for millions.

Water is the most basic requirement for life. Yet in Kano, households, businesses and institutions struggle daily to secure it. This is not due to a lack of infrastructure alone, but a combination of systemic neglect, poor planning and weak execution.

The state’s municipal water supply depends largely on two major treatment plants—
Chalawa and Tamburawa. The Tamburawa Water Treatment Plant, built during the
administration of former Governor Shekarau, was designed to produce 150 million litres of water per day. However, it has never reached that capacity.

Having worked at the plant as an intern in 2013, I saw its potential. Unfortunately, that potential has remained unrealised due to multiple challenges.

One of the major problems is the inadequate supply of raw water. The Kano River, which feeds the Tamburawa plant, has been affected by both climate variability and upstream water diversion. The Tiga Hydropower facility, for instance, significantly reduces the volume of water reaching the treatment plant.

Infrastructure decay is another critical issue. Key components of the water system—from intake pumps to filtration units—are either poorly maintained or no longer functional.
Clarifiers, sedimentation tanks and filter beds have deteriorated over time, while high-lift pumps are frequently out of service.
Electricity supply further complicates the situation. Water treatment and distribution require stable power, yet the plants operate under erratic electricity conditions. This limits their ability to function effectively and consistently.

Perhaps the most fundamental flaw lies in the distribution system itself. Tamburawa plant water supply model relies heavily on direct pumping from treatment plants to households.

There are few, if any, functional elevated storage reservoirs to support gravity-based distribution. As a result, water only flows when pumps are running—an inefficient system that drives up energy costs and leaves many areas without supply for long periods.