Kano farmers decry water shortage, blame failed irrigation project

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Kano farmers decry water shortage, blame failed irrigation project

Farmers in the Watari irrigation area of Bagwai Local Government Area, Kano State, have expressed deep concern over continued losses due to inadequate water supply for their farms over the past three years.

The Chairman of the Farmers’ Association in the region, Alhaji Ibrahim Sani Janruwa, highlighted the crisis while taking journalists on a tour of the affected areas.

Janruwa revealed that three years ago, the Islamic Development Bank provided financial support for the expansion and rehabilitation of irrigation channels in the Watari area.

However, he lamented that the project was mismanaged by those entrusted with its execution, accusing them of favoritism and breach of trust by awarding the contract to an incompetent contractor who lacked the necessary equipment.

As a result, he said, the project was poorly executed, leading to severe setbacks instead of improvements.

According to Janruwa, the initial agreement stipulated that the contractor should complete the project within six months while consulting farmers throughout the process.

However, the work dragged on for over three years without completion, and key project guidelines were ignored, compromising its quality, he alleged.

“This failure has left more than 10,000 farms without adequate irrigation, posing a serious threat to food security, economic stability, and peaceful coexistence in Kano State,” he warned.

Janruwa further disclosed that recent assessments indicate that only 25% of the total farmland in the area currently receives sufficient water, underscoring the severity of the crisis.

He called on relevant authorities and stakeholders to urgently intervene, warning that failure to address the issue could lead to severe food shortages and increased unemployment in Kano State and Nigeria as a whole.

He emphasized the critical role the Watari Dam plays in food production and job creation in the region.