Ten months after Stallion Times first reported the water crisis plaguing Yan Dachi, a community in the Warawa Local Government Area of Kano State, the situation has deteriorated further, despite a government allocation of ₦1.7 billion to address the issue of water in the state.
The initial Stallion Times investigation uncovered how water scarcity in Yan Dachi was triggering a cascade of problems: widespread health challenges, children dropping out of school, and deepening economic hardship.
But a recent follow-up reveals that little has changed for the better.
“We are still suffering, nothing has been done,” said Yusuf Sa’adu, the assistant ward head (Walikilin Mai Ungwa) of the community.
The 52-year-old described how the persistent water shortage continues to disrupt daily life.
His children no longer attend school, and the community struggles to meet basic religious obligations like ablution for prayer due to the lack of clean water.
“We’re forced to use dirty water or buy sachet water at ₦25 each, which many can’t afford every day,” he said.

Government Pledges vs. Ground Reality
On April 30, 2025, the Kano State government announced a ₦1.7 billion payment toward water utility improvements aimed at solving the state’s water crisis and implementing long-term sector reforms.
“We are determined to provide potable water to all residents of Kano,” Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf declared during the announcement.
But in Yan Dachi, the impact of this commitment is nowhere to be seen.
A month after the government’s pledge, residents say they haven’t felt any change. This raises pressing questions: Is Yan Dachi excluded from state development plans? When will these reforms reach the people who need them the most?
Daily Struggles for Basic Survival
In many households, children like 12-year-old Maimuna Sani have had to abandon their education just to fetch water.
Every morning before dawn, she loads yellow jerry cans onto a handcart and walks over 500 meters to a stagnant, muddy pond, the only available water source.
Sometimes, she must trek as far as 3 kilometers to a neighboring village, Naibawa, in search of water.
The water she brings home, brown, murky, and parasite-laden, is used for everything, from cooking to washing.
Her story reflects the daily reality of hundreds of children in Yan Dachi who spend hours fetching water instead of attending school.
The hardship extends to housewives, who also trek long distances to unsafe water sources, exposing themselves and their families to diseases like cholera and typhoid.
Voices of Desperation
“We hear all these announcements, but where is the action?”
“If billions are being spent on water, why are we still drinking from contaminated ponds?
Why are we using sachet water to perform ablution?” asked Sa’adu.
With tears in his eyes, he made a passionate appeal to the government:
“We are begging you, our leaders, come and see what our children drink in the name of water.
“Every morning, our children walk past their schools to fetch filthy water from ponds shared with animals. Is this the future you want for them?”
“I may not be educated, but I know this water crisis is robbing my children of a better life. I don’t want them to remain uneducated like me.
“Let the Governor come and see our suffering. We don’t need promises, we need water.”

A Broken Promise
For Yan Dachi’s struggling families, that promise remains unfulfilled.
As the water crisis deepens, the community’s plea is simple yet urgent: deliver the basic human right of clean water, before it’s too late.