The residents of Premier Road Tudun Wada in the Zamfara state capital Gusau have long suffered from the crippling effects of water scarcity. For 5 years, the community struggled to access clean drinking water, forcing many to rely on contaminated sources or travel long distances to fetch water for their homes.
Residents of Premier road Tudun Wada embody the statistics by Wateraid in a report which revealed that 3 in 10 people in Nigeria do not have clean water close to home, putting them under constant threat from waterborne diseases like cholera.
The Global body in the report further noted that very day, already fragile water supplies are at even greater risk of disappearing completely because of climate change.
In Tudun Wada, the harsh terrain, characterized by massive rocks, rendered traditional water sources like wells and boreholes untenable, despite the community's best efforts.
Shamsu Dahiru in this report examines the effect lack of access to portable water had on residents of Premier Road, Tundun Wada and how they were able to address the challenge.
A typical day for Rabi'atu Muhammad, a female member of Premier Road begins with her waking up very early so she can begin the search for water which would often take her miles away from home.
Rabiatu said she had to do this in order to ensure her family had enough water for the day.
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Auwal Muhammad, a student, said he was always late to school because part of his early morning chores included walking long distances to get water for household use.
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Lateness to work was what Abdulsalam Sunusi, hated most about the lack of access to portable water at Premier road.
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This continued hardship caused by the lack of water in the community led the community to form a committee with the mandate of finding a solution to the lingering challenge.
The committee led by Mallam Abubakar Mohammed, after conducting a needs assessment and consulting with experts, identified the construction of a borehole as the most viable solution.
"We were tired of watching our children suffer from water-borne diseases and our women travel long distances to fetch water," said Mallam Abubakar. "We knew we had to take action."
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But while they had identified the need to take action and what steps to take to achieve their desired goal to construct a borehole, they were hampered by lack of funds.
This led the committee to reach out to Supporting Islamic Finance (SIF), which provided critical financial and technical support. Supporting Islamic Finance (SIF) is a non-profit organization promoting Islamic finance solutions for community development.
SIF's expertise in Islamic finance enabled the community to access funding through its Gard hassan interest-free loan facility.
The company initially estimated that the project would cost 5 million naira, and the community was able to raise 1.5 million naira through various community initiatives, to enable the project move forward. However, they still had a shortfall of 3.5 million to meet before realizing their goal. And this is where the intervention of SIF came in handy.
With the intervention, SIF was able to provide a solar powered borehole within six months which provides water for over 500 residents.
Alhaji Ahmed Abdullahi, SIF's Regional Coordinator, said "SIF's support was instrumental in making this project a reality," noting that the organization believes in empowering communities to take ownership of their development, and Premier Road Tudun Wada is a shining example.
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With SIF's backing, the community contributed significantly to the project, by providing labor, materials, and resources. The borehole construction took several months to complete, but the sense of accomplishment and pride among residents was palpable.
A resident Hajiya Fatima Mohammed, said "The borehole has changed our lives,". "We no longer have to worry about where our next drop of clean water will come from. Our children are healthier, and our women have more time to focus on their families and livelihoods.
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Mallam Sunusi, who before now was always late to work, said with clean water, he can start his day on time.
Muhammad, said he can focus on his education now without spending long hours looking for water, while Mallama Mohammed said she has more time for her family.
The provision of borehole which addressed the challenge of lack of water however opened up another issue that the residents had to contend with.
The borehole which was provided was solar powered and so on days when there was little sunshine, water was not so readily available.
A resident Ukasha Umar complained that they still experience challenges getting especially during rainy season and on days when there is little or no sun to pump the water.
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Mr Kasimu whose business was selling water from his private borehole says he is now almost out of business because nobody is buying from him anymore.