The water supply component of the federal government-owned Sabke Dam located in Maiadua Local Government Area of Katsina State may have been completed and commissioned but for a vital aspect of the dam, which is water supply to over 10,000 farmers for irrigation purpose is yet to take off after 22 years of initiation, Daily Trust reports.
Even though, two years ago in 2018, precisely after 20 years, the water supply segment was completed, but at present the dam is facing a serious threat as its water level has receded due to blockage of its tributaries, making the supply of water difficult to communities.
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The dam, which cost more than N2 billion to build has over 1.3 million cubic meters and an irrigation space of not less than 3, 500-hectare capacity as initiated by President Muhammadu Buhari in 1998 when he was in charge of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF).
When Daily Trust visited the dam last week, despite being rainy season, it has seriously receded making it difficult to supply water to benefiting communities, while the irrigation land remains un-utilised as water canals are yet to be installed to facilitate supply to vast irrigation farmlands surrounding the dam.
Also, the yard for the construction workers of the dam has been abandoned.
Offices were also vandalised with no workers visible, while some finished canals have littered the premises.
In 2018 during its commissioning, the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu said the Sabke water supply scheme was a conventional water treatment plant with the capacity to provide 500,000 gallons of potable water to Daura and Mai’adua daily.
As at today, this target is far from being realised as the workers who confided in our correspondent said the dam has been rendered idle having functioned for a while by supplying water to some communities and currently facing challenges in water scarcity.
The state Chairman of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Umar Yau Gwajo Gwajo said the status of the dam at present is disheartening with the reservoir completely dried up.
He said the project is being sabotaged by those saddled with the responsibility to see to its fruition.
“If they are respecting the person of the president and the responsibilities he gave to them, this project wouldn’t have been like this for this long,” he said.
Malam Ibrahim Umar from Dagogo village said: “We were happy when it was commissioned, but our joy is fast fading as the dam is returning to its comatose status.”
Another farmer, Hamisu Yadi said: “The dam water level is shocking as it has kept shrinking over the years.
“Before now, it was full of water, but now you can see it’s in a pitiful condition.”
Our reporter observed that some set of farmers have decided to use pumping machines to draw water to the dam for their dry season farms having waited endlessly for the irrigation farming channels to supply the desired water.
They mostly come from neighbouring villages of Dagogo, Gamawa, Tsabu, Misra, and Shangel.
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