News Investigators/ Residents of communities around the Kangimi Dam in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State have appealed to the state government to rehabilitate the road linking the area with Maraban-Jos and other major towns.
The residents, including farmers and fishermen made the appeal during an on-the-spot assessment of the dam by journalists following reports circulating on social media alleging that the facility had collapsed or was at risk of imminent collapse.
The residents said their immediate challenge was the deplorable condition of the approximately 14-kilometre road connecting Maraban-Jos to the dam.
They said the poor road had made it difficult and costly to transport farm produce, fish and other goods to markets, while also limiting access to hospitals, schools and other essential services.
A farmer and fisherman, Malam Shamsu Abubakar, who has lived and worked around the dam for several years, said he had seen the reports on social media but had not observed any development suggesting that the facility was collapsing.
Abubakar said the dam remained important to farmers and fishermen, particularly because it supported both dry-season and rainy-season agricultural activities.
He, however, urged the government to dredge the dam to increase its water-storage capacity and sustain its usefulness to surrounding communities.
According to him, improved road infrastructure would equally help farmers and fishermen move their produce to markets with less difficulty and reduce transportation costs and post-harvest losses.
He recalled that a minor crack had developed at the dam about eight years ago but said it was subsequently repaired and activities around the facility continued.
Abubakar added that several government officials had visited the area since the recent reports emerged on social media.
Similarly, Malam Jibril Isa, a farmer from Gwauro community, said residents had continued to use the dam for agricultural activities without any disruption.
Isa said the facility had contributed significantly to the local economy, particularly through irrigation farming, adding that dredging would further improve its capacity.
He urged the government to address the condition of the access road and sustain interventions aimed at improving the dam.
Another resident, Malam Adamu Galadima of Rugugi-Gwauro community, said many households depended on rice, maize, sweet potatoes and other crops for their livelihoods.
Galadima said the poor condition of the road had made transportation of agricultural produce difficult, with some residents resorting to tipper trucks, machines and bicycles to move their goods.
He appealed to the state government to rehabilitate the road, saying this would facilitate access to markets and improve residents’ access to basic services.
Malam Usman, a 29-year-old resident of Ruhugi-Gwauro, also described the dam as beneficial to surrounding communities.
Usman said the reports of possible collapse had not significantly affected residents because their more pressing concern was the poor road network.
He appealed to the government to sustain its support for communities around the nearly 50-year-old facility.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Government has assured residents that the Kangimi Dam has neither collapsed nor shown evidence of active structural failure.
The assurance followed reports and photographs circulated on social media alleging that the facility was at risk of imminent collapse.
In a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Works and Infrastructure, Alhaji Ashiru Abdu Na Abdu, the government said the photographs being circulated were linked to structural concerns observed at the dam in 2015/2016.
The government explained that the concerns were associated with ageing infrastructure and pressure from heavy rainfall and were subsequently addressed through emergency remedial works.
It said the dam had remained under routine monitoring and minimal maintenance, stressing that there was currently no evidence of active structural failure.
The government added that additional safety measures, including automated water-level gauges, early-warning sirens and telemetry systems, were being planned to strengthen surveillance of the facility.
It further disclosed that a joint technical inspection by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation and the Kaduna State Government was scheduled for August to assess the dam and determine further measures required to improve its safety.
The residents said they welcomed continued government monitoring of the dam but urged authorities to give equal attention to the road infrastructure, which they described as critical to their livelihoods and economic activities.
NAN
