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Kano unveils measures to close water supply gap, meet growing demand – EnviroNews
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Kano State Government says it is implementing measures to address a daily water supply deficit of more than 300 million litres as demand in Greater Kano continues to exceed the capacity of existing water treatment plants.
The Commissioner for Water Resources, Environment and Climate Change, Dr Dahir Hashim, disclosed this in an interview on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, in Kano, the state capital.
Hashim said the government had commenced the rehabilitation and upgrade of major water facilities to restore their operational capacity and improve water supply across the metropolis.
He said Greater Kano, covering areas within a 50-kilometre radius, requires about 750 million litres of water daily, based on surveys conducted between 2022 and 2023.
According to him, the three major water treatment plants serving the affected areas of Challawa, Tamburawa and Watari have a combined production capacity of 445 million litres daily when operating at full capacity.
“Challawa Water Treatment Plant has the capacity to produce 220 million litres daily. The First Water Works has a capacity of 20 million litres, the Second Water Works 110 million litres, while the Third Water Works has 19 million litres.
“Tamburawa Water Treatment Plant was established to produce 150 million litres per day, while Watari was designed to produce 75 million litres daily.
“When you combine the capacity of these three major water treatment facilities, you have about 445 million litres per day if they operate at full capacity.
“However, the demand is 750 million litres daily. This means there is already a deficit of more than 300 million litres every day,” he said.
The commissioner said the state inherited water facilities operating below 20 per cent capacity, describing the situation as a major challenge that required urgent intervention.
He said the Tamburawa Water Treatment Plant, one of the major facilities supplying the metropolis, was completely inactive when the administration assumed office.
“Tamburawa, for example, was not producing a single litre of water when this administration came in. Not one litre was being supplied,” Hashim said.
He said the government had commenced rehabilitation of the treatment plants as part of efforts to restore them to full operational capacity.
Hashim explained that some of Kano’s water infrastructure was built decades ago and had become inadequate due to rapid population growth and urban expansion.
He recalled that the First Water Works was established in 1928 during the reign of Emir Abdullahi Bayero, when it was sufficient to serve the population of Kano at the time.
“The city has expanded tremendously, and the population has increased, but the infrastructure has not grown at the same pace,” he said.
The commissioner said the government was currently rehabilitating the Second and Third Water Works, which have a combined capacity of about 200 million litres daily, alongside the Tamburawa facility.
He assured residents that the government would continue investing in water infrastructure to reduce the supply gap and meet future demands.
“We cannot continue to rely only on existing infrastructure that was designed decades ago.
“We must plan for the future and develop facilities that will meet the needs of the coming generations,” Hashim said.
By Muhammad Nur Tijani
