June 04, (THEWILL) – As part of efforts to ensure access to clean water, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has handed over six solar-powered boreholes to the Borno state government.
The borehole projects, which spread across Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and Jere, aims to provide 12,000 people access to clean water.
Speaking during the handing over ceremony in Maiduguri, the UNICEF Deputy Representative, Dr Rownak Khan, said the initiative was used to address issues of contaminated water caused by the 2024 flooding, which ravaged 70 percent of the city and surrounding areas.
She said the flood had caused humanitarian consequences to children, women, elderly, and forced families into crowded temporary sites where basic Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services were either stretched or non-existent.
As a result of this, she said, “The risk of disease outbreaks, especially cholera and other waterborne illnesses, increased exponentially.
“In the face of this crisis, the response required urgency, coordination, and a focus on long-term impact. That is why UNICEF, in close partnership with the Borno State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) and with generous funding from IHS towers, launched an emergency intervention to restore safe water access to flood-affected communities.”
Highlighting the communities that benefited from the water project, Rownak said, “We have delivered six solar-powered boreholes in high-need communities across Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and Jere: Fori, Bulabulin, Shehuri North, Kusheri, Shetimari New GRA, and Goungolong.”
She said each of the boreholes will provide 22,000 litres of clean water daily, collectively serving nearly 12,000 people, including children, schools, mothers in health centres and families rebuilding their lives after displacement.
She, however, appreciated the Borno state government, community stakeholders, and IHS Towers partners for their role in the project planning and implementation processes.
