Among the basic essential amenities required for quality life in any given community, water falls within the top ranks in order of importance. This fact has remained indubitable over the years, prompting several governments across the world to constantly advance strategies toward ensuring constant quality and sufficient water, both for domestic and industrial uses.
Nigeria, with its diverse, but unique geological formations has not been able to meet the international standard for quality water supply to its citizens in line with the prescriptions of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
In the South-eastern States of the country particularly, and some parts of the North, the problem of quality water supply has continued to assume a more challenging posture due to the nature of its water table and poor quality of underground water which were very often polluted by solid mineral salts in most places.
In most parts of Ebonyi State precisely, usage of underground water often sourced from Boreholes are highly discouraged, mainly due to the presence of Lead and other mineral salts which very often contaminate such waters, making it grossly unfit for human consumption.
Consequently, there are greater reliance on scantly distributed seasonal ponds, brooks and small rivers which were mostly of non-perennial value and which also poses grave health challenges.
Cognizant of this teething problem, the present administration of Governor David Umahi, from inception decided to take the Bull by the horn in diligently exploiting all avenues towards ensuring that the citizens access potable water at every nooks and cranny of the State.
On August 2015, few months into his administration, Chief Umahi flagged-off water projects for the three senatorial zones of the State.
The projects which, all together, was put at about N2.1 billion was divided into three Lots to cater for the comprehensive water needs of the State and was billed to be executed under collaboration with the Sustainable Development Goals’ Conditional Grant Scheme (SDG/CGS) agreement of 2015.
The Lot one of the projects was designed for the rehabilitation of the Ezillo water Treatment Plant and the Sakamori Water Pipeline network facilities and storage tanks.
The Government under that also, intended to build storage tanks in Izzicha forest and other strategic heights to supply water to Federal University, Ndufu Alike Ikwo and other parts of Ikwo Local Government Area as well as the State Rice Mill at Iboko and some areas in Izzi Local Government area.
To guarantee uninterrupted flow of water under the project, the second Lot of the contract was designed to take care of the proper integration of Ezillo water scheme in Ishielu Local Government area of the State with that of Oferekpe in Ikwo Local Government area to ensure that when one develops any problem, the other can substitute.
Lot three of the project was devoted to addressing the water challenges of Ohaozara areas of the state; build Storage Tanks in Agu-Ugwu – Uburu and Ugwulangwu to network the entire Ohaozara areas within the Southern zone.
Additionally, the Ivo mini water schemes of which the State had received N700m to execute in Ishiagu, Ivo Local Government area of the State, was re-designed and re-awarded by the Government at the cost of N1.2 billion owing to the need to make it more functional and wider in scope. The State Government undertook to augment the fund for the project which was then expected to be completed within eight months.
The State Government then, also reassessed the Ukawu Water Project in Onicha local Government area, long abandoned by previous administrations to review the possibility of resuscitating it: a task it latter undertook, expected to guarantee water supply to Afikpo North and South, Ezza, Ishielu and Onicha Local Government areas.
Furthermore, the Government released a road map towards boosting water distribution network in Abakaliki, the State Capital, starting from the replacement of obsolete pipes.
Governor Umahi reacting then on these strategies noted: “I believe strongly that whatever we want to do, we must have a road map. So, we are working very hard to have a road map for a solution to the water needs of the state…
“In the next one year, we should beat our chest and say that everybody, especially within the capital city is drinking water.”
Regrettably, however, about three years down the line, the problem of potable water still persists in the State, especially in Abakaliki, the State capital.
The development has continued to agitate the minds of the public, including the media.
The State Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Senator Emmanuel Onwe, while responding to questions from newsmen at the end of one of the State Executive Council meetings held recently at the Executive Council Chambers, Government House, Abakaliki, located the greatest challenge to adequate water supply in the State on three-pronged issue of Obsolete water plants and accessories, inappropriate plant location and poor engineering standard of water plants executed by the previous administration in the State.
The Commissioner explained that apart from the fact that the existing galvanized water pipelines presumably laid over 70 years ago are now grossly rusty and obsolete, the old water plant in Ezillo required complete refurbishment and upgrading to meet the current demand status of the State.
He decried not only the engineering deficiency in the Oferekpe mega water scheme hurriedly commissioned by the Elechi administration at the verge of its exit from office in 2015 but also the fact that the location of the plant in distant Oferekpe border community in Ikwo local Government area of the State has continued to frustrate all efforts by the present Government towards reticulating the water, especially to Abakaliki, the State capital.
Onwe explained further: “The Water scheme in Ezillo is decades old and the underground piping in this State; I know for a fact, those were mainly laid by the colonials in the 1940s and 1950s
“Definitely, what you cannot accuse this Government of is having failed in continuity programmes
“The first thing this Government did was to begin the process of dividing the capital city into discos and it was to begin to re-lay the piping, the water pipes.
“And one of the most aggressive programmes and policies our Government has pursued was to revitalize the Pipe factory and that was to be able to have the raw materials with which to re-lay and replace the galvanized pipes with PVC pipes.
“That has been ongoing and that is something that the Honourable Commissioner for water can attest to.
“However, the biggest problem is the system of water delivery that was introduced in the State.
“The building of a mega water processing plant in Oferekpe is by everybody’s testament, a wrong way to deliver water in a modern society.
“Simply reticulating the piping from Oferekpe to Abakaliki is costing an untold amount of money.
“But by far, the greatest challenge to that project was that it was done in a way that breached every due process of engineering.
“Today we are being told that the water plant that have not even been used for any Length of period has had a filtering system destroyed and requiring about N340 million to fix the system alone.
“We all here understand that the previous administration built the Oferekpe Water scheme and commissioned it shortly before it departed from power in 2015 and now, three short years, this Government is required to pay N340 million to replace the filtering system.
“That is the challenge.”
He however stressed that the Umahi led administration, in spite of these challenges continues to be relentlessly committed to the cause of ensuring that Ebonyians enjoy quality potable water before the expiration of its first tenure.
Governor Umahi, as part of resolutions during a recent Executive Council meeting directed his Senior Special Adviser on Health to carry out a comprehensive audit of all boreholes in the State and have them tested for safety. This is sequel to reported health hazards inherent in water supply from most boreholes in the State.
As Government intensifies efforts in this regard, the directive strongly indicates that the Umahi Government places very high premium on the health and safety of its citizens and there is no doubt that it would soon, surely conquer this pervading monster of water scarcity even as the dry season sets in.
Onwe assured: “This is something we have been passionate about, that water having not become a component of the prongs of programmes the Government has, is a matter that is troubling to us and we have been doing everything possible.
“In fact, the Governor has been driving the Commissioner almost like a slave just to get water around but you cannot extract the water from rocks.
“Think about it, Ebonyi State removing N340 million to replace just a filter in a water plant: that is about 25% of the total allocation coming to Ebonyi State in a month.
“So, something is being done.
“And be rest assured that this Government is doing everything within its power to ensure that the problem of water will be solved before its first tenure runs out.”