Over 8000,Bauchi Residets Practice Open Defecation

                                           

Over 8,000 people in Bauchi State practice open defecation due to inadequate  latrines facility across the state.

This was disclosed by the General Manager of the Bauchi State Rural Water and Sanitaion Agency, Eng Garba Babaji Magaji, when he received the new commissioner of Water Resources Alhaji Muhammad Ghali Abdulhamid who paid a familiarization visit to the agency.

Eng Magaji who expressed worry over the situation which is dangerous to the health of the people called on households in rural areas to provide local latrines in their homes.

According to the General Manager, over 15,000 latrines were required in all parts of the state to curb the menace of open defecation.

He however said the state government will by next month, declare Dass local government area as free of open defecation area in the state.

On water requirement, Eng Magaji said about 6,348 boreholes are required to effectively cover ninety percent water need of the state.

He said currently, only 3, 711 bore holes are functional in the state saying the number as inadequate to provide the required water especially in the rural communities of the state.

The General Manager said 33 billion Naira is required to cover the gap in water, sanitation and hygiene in the state.

Also at the  State Water and Sewage Corporation, former State Water Board, the acting Managing Director Engr. Aminu Aliyu Gital, told the commissioner that the corporation is only present in four out of the twenty local government areas of the state due to inadequate staff.

He said the reactivated Treatment Plant of Gubi Dam in the state capital, provides 2.5 million gallons daily which is not adequate enough to cater for the teeming increasing population of the city.

The Managing Director disclosed that a world bank credit facility of sixty five million dollars for the expansion of Bauchi water supply is on the way which is expected to be paid in the next 20 years.

According to Gital, new pipes would be laid while new reservoir will be constructed which will enable the corporation to extend water supply to  new settlements in the state capital.

Responding,  the commissioner of Water resources,,Alhaji Muhammad Ghali Abdulhamid, commended their managements and called on them to join hands with him to move the state to greater heights.