By Abbas Nazil
A severe windstorm has crippled water supply to Gombe State’s capital and its environs following damage to a dedicated power line serving the Dadinkowa Water Treatment Plant.
The Gombe State Water Board confirmed the disruption and said urgent repair work has commenced to restore water production and distribution.
In a press statement the General Manager of the Water Board, Abubakar Muhammad, revealed that the windstorm caused significant damage to the power infrastructure critical to the operation of the Dadinkowa facility.
The storm, which affected several parts of the state, led to a complete halt in water treatment and supply services.
“Our dedicated power line to the Dadinkowa Water Treatment Facility was impacted by the storm, which has unfortunately disrupted our ability to produce and distribute water,” the statement read.
To address the situation, technical teams have been deployed to the affected site to undertake emergency repairs.
Muhammad noted that engineers are currently on-site and working tirelessly to restore power, with the ultimate aim of resuming water supply to the public as soon as possible.
“Our engineers are on-site working tirelessly to restore the power supply. Once repairs are completed, we will ramp up water production and resume normal supply to the public,” the board stated.
The Water Board appealed for patience and understanding from residents, assuring them that all efforts were being made to shorten the duration of the outage.
The management acknowledged the inconvenience the disruption might cause but stressed its commitment to resolving the issue promptly.
“We understand the inconvenience this may cause and sincerely appreciate the patience and cooperation of the public as we work to resolve the issue,” the board emphasized.
In a follow-up telephone interview with *Arewa PUNCH*, Abubakar Muhammad provided further clarity, stating that repair efforts were already at an advanced stage. According to him, the board had completed the procurement of all necessary materials, and what remained was the final installation.
“Within one to two days we should have completed it because we have made most of the procurements of all the materials needed. What remains is the installation,” Muhammad assured.
He explained that excavation work had already been done and that the remaining task involved logistics and installation of the materials on-site.
Muhammad attributed the damage to the effects of climate change, citing increasingly severe weather patterns such as strong winds and tornadoes. “Actually this is part of the climate change that is ravaging the whole world,” he noted.
“It happened last year. In advanced countries, when it affects installation, they come up with emergency response plans, and that is exactly what we are doing.”
The Gombe State Water Board continues to monitor the situation and has committed to restoring normal water supply within the shortest possible time.
