Francis Sardauna in Katsina 

The Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, has awarded the Zobe Water Supply Phase One B project at the cost of N31 billion after years of struggle by successful administrations to complete the water scheme.

The 88,741 length water project, awarded to Mutual Commitment Company Limited (MCC), is expected to tackle the perennial water scarcity in communities across Dutsinma, Charanchi, Rimi, Katsina and Batagarawa Local Government Areas when completed.

Speaking at the ceremonial groundbreaking of the project in Kafin-Soli Wednesday, Radda said it was awarded to the MCC at the cost of over N31 billion to boost water supply in the state.

He has directed the state’s Ministry of Water Resources to initiate the process of payment of 40 per cent of the total project sum to the company for its immediate commencement.

He explained that the Zobe water supply project phase one B will provide potable water to Dutsinma, Katsina, Rimi, Batagarawa, Charanchi, Kafin-Soli, Tafashiya and Radda.

Radda said: “We are assembled here for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Zobe Water supply phase one B project, a venture that speaks not only to our technical prowess, but to our moral imperatives as a government and to provide for the needs of our people.

“To construct the infrastructure that sustains life and to deliver those essential services without which the advancement of humanity cannot flourish. This undertaking had an estimated cost exceeding over 31 billion. 

“Entrusted to Mutual Commitment Company Limited is not merely an engineering bid, it is a declaration of intent, a solemn pledge that every citizen of Katsana State, whether residing in the bustling towns or the most polluted hamlets, shall enjoy the unfiltered access to clean, safe and reliable water.”

He added that the water supply project will provide job opportunities for artisan suppliers and local enterprises will flourish in the state. 

“Skills will be honoured, livelihoods sustained. In this manner, the project will infuse vitality into our local economies,” he said.

He described the provision of water, sanitation and hygiene as some of the cardinal pillars of his Building Your Future development agenda.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Water Resources, Dr. Bashir Gambo Saulawa, said the water project underscores Governor Radda’s unwavering commitment to uplifting the lives of citizens and etching progress into the fabrics of the state.

He noted that the Zobe phase one B water project “is a promise made tangible, a solemn commitment to deliver clean, safe and reliable water to every corner of our city”.

“Water, as we all know, is the essence of life, but beyond its physical necessity, its provision is a moral obligation, a reflection of our collective conscience,” the commissioner said.

In his remarks, the Group Managing Director of Mutual Commitment Company Limited, Mr. Liu Zhaolong, said the company will complete the project within 12 months instead of the initial two years timeframe.

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