The thirst for water can never be overemphasized in the semi-arid climate of Borno State. As I was traveling back from Kano to Maiduguri on Sunday, I noticed a bore hole and overhead tank in one village. Dozens of young men pushing carts with plastic cans line up to wait their turn to fill their receptacles with this precious liquid. As I continued driving from at least 1 to 3 kilometers, I kept seeing one cart after another being pushed to and from this village bore hole. If this much water is being pushed around in February from this distant bore hole, how much more will be consumed during the excruciating heat of March, April, and May!
On February 21, 2008, Zarma Water Services began drilling at the INTERCEP Pompomari farm site in Maiduguri. This caused quite a commotion during Day 4 of our food security workshop for Borno youth. However, Dave Goolsby used the background noise of the initial drilling to inspire hope in the trainees concerning the success of drip irrigation farming. The drillers from Zarma Water Services worked late that night to meet their goal of hitting the first artesian aquifer. To our surprise, on Friday after the workshop’s conclusion, they hit the first aquifer at 30 meters!
Nevertheless, as I traveled to Kano with Dave Goolsby and Randall McAdams on Saturday, Ebenezer Udofia reported that the Zarma drillers hit the second artesian aquifer at 42 meters! By the time that I arrived back in Maiduguri on Sunday, the drillers had hit the third aquifer at 62 meters! Then on Monday morning, they hit the fourth aquifer at 70 meters guaranteeing a steady supply of water for many years! They are now installing the 5” casing and screen into the bored hole to create a chamber for the PVC pipe. All along, one of our trainees at the August 2007 workshop, Ibrahim Ngamdu, was present to insure the quality of the project.
This is so thrilling to our farm manager, Ebenezer, that he is anxious to start supplementing the drip irrigation project with livestock after his marriage in early April. Our first target is to convert the existing water reservoir into a fishery with 200 fingerlings. Ebenezer testifies that the lucrative nature of Nigerian fisheries cannot be underestimated. Our farm assistants, Ephraim and Justina Tsesar, are equally thrilled to have a continuous water source to supply the drip buckets for vegetable production. Finally, our days of thrice weekly purchases of tankers to deliver water to the farm are nearing an end.
Also, we are looking forward to connecting a pipe from the newly completed overhead tanks to the outside of the wall. This will enable Pompomari residents to access clean drinking water during daylight hours. The hottest months of the year are just around the corner as we enter March, April, and May. This means that nomadic Fulani herders of cattle, goats, and sheep will be making regular pilgrimages through Pompomari in western Maiduguri to find greener grass in southern Borno state. This external pipe supplying water to the world outside our farm will be a witness to the amazing grace of the Almighty!
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