By Muhammad Sani Muazu
The Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA) has launched a statewide exercise to disinfect wells in selected communities as part of efforts to prevent waterborne diseases, particularly cholera, during the rainy season.
Speaking to journalists at the agency’s headquarters in Bauchi, the Director of Inspection, Enforcement, and Compliance at BASEPA, Muhammad Usman Saleh, explained that the exercise is part of an annual initiative targeting wells in areas vulnerable to cholera outbreaks.
“Today, we are deploying our teams to disinfect wells in eleven communities within Bauchi metropolis using chlorine,” he said. “This is a preventive measure to eliminate disease-causing organisms that may thrive during the rainy season when water levels rise.”
The exercise is being carried out in partnership with an international non-governmental organization, WaterAid, which provided financial and technical support under its sanitation and hygiene intervention program.
In addition to Bauchi metropolis, the intervention covers three other local government areas—Tafawa Balewa, Jama’are, and Misau—bringing the total number of benefiting LGAs to four.
“This support from WaterAid is currently limited to these four LGAs. However, BASEPA is considering expanding the initiative to other parts of the state using its own resources,” Saleh stated.
To carry out the disinfection, BASEPA has deployed a total of 110 field workers: 80 within Bauchi metropolis, and 10 each in Tafawa Balewa, Jama’are, and Misau. These field workers, known as enumerators, are tasked with disinfecting wells and collecting essential data.
“The team will measure the depth of the wells and assess the distance between the wells and nearby toilets or septic tanks to determine potential contamination risks,” Saleh explained. “According to safety standards, the minimum safe distance should not be less than 30 meters.”
He added that the enumerators are using measuring tapes and data collection forms to record their findings. Any well found to be too close to a toilet will be flagged for relocation or other corrective action.
On the criteria for selecting the benefiting local government areas, the director clarified that the process was handled by WaterAid through a raffle-style selection. However, the selection prioritized areas with a history of cholera outbreaks.
Saleh appealed to residents to cooperate with the field workers, emphasizing that the exercise is for their own safety.
“We ask for the full support of residents. When our teams—comprising both men and women—arrive at a compound, they should be allowed access to carry out the necessary work,” he said. “We also advise residents to wait for at least six hours after chlorine application before fetching water for drinking or cooking.”
Meanwhile, community members have welcomed the initiative with gratitude. Nasiru Malami Sidi, a resident of Malam Goje, expressed deep appreciation for the intervention.
“We are truly happy about this exercise,” he said. “Honestly, such negligence has led to cholera outbreaks in the past. This is the first time we are witnessing such an effort in our community, and we are very grateful.”
The exercise is part of a broader public health strategy to improve sanitation and reduce the incidence of waterborne diseases across Bauchi State.