Kunai Community Faces Lethal Water Crisis As Residents Rely On Polluted Streams
Residents of Kunai community in Chikun Local Government Area, Kaduna State, are facing a severe water crisis as families—including pregnant women—continue to trek long distances daily to collect water from polluted streams and deteriorating wells.
Promised access to safe, treated water remains unfulfilled.
Despite the multi-billion-naira Zaria Water Supply Expansion and Sanitation Project, funded by the African Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank, Kunai’s residents still drink, cook, and bathe using contaminated water—putting them at constant risk of cholera, diarrhoea, and other waterborne diseases.
According to civic technology platform Monitng, the community’s struggle reflects a broader failure to provide essential water infrastructure. Most households rely on uncovered wells or hand-dug streams. Only a handful have access to piped water, while others depend on frequently contaminated boreholes and hand pumps. Open defecation and poor sanitation practices further compound public health risks.
“This is the heartbreaking reality,” Monitng wrote in a public appeal to Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State. “In Kunai, pregnant women and children walk for hours just to collect unsafe water. Communities continue to fall ill while clean water remains a broken promise.”
Efforts by the Kaduna State Water Corporation (KADSWAC) and the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) have made little impact, largely due to aging infrastructure and lack of maintenance.
A rare success story lies nearby in Kurimin Kaduna, where a solar-powered borehole—provided by the Milk Value Chain Foundation and ECOWAS—has drastically improved residents' lives. However, such progress remains the exception, not the rule.
Civic groups and local leaders are urging the Kaduna State government to act swiftly and decisively. They call for sustainable, long-term solutions, including infrastructure upgrades, regular water quality monitoring, expanded sanitation programs, and public-private partnerships.
“With climate change and population growth placing greater stress on resources, achieving clean water access for all by 2030 is only possible through accountability, investment, and modern infrastructure,” Monitng emphasized.
As preventable diseases continue to threaten lives in Kunai, the call for immediate government intervention grows louder.
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