• government assures water rehabilitation
Residents of Enugu metropolis have being faced with severe water crises, recently. Water was said to be scarce; residents were hunting for where to buy water.
Sadly as a result of the shortage of water, water vendors has increased the prices of water making it more unbearable for the residents.
Reports from NAN revealed the worst hit were residents of Independence Layout, Community Layout in Transekulu, Achara Layout and Emene.
Some of the residents told NAN that they have not had water since the New Year, adding that they had been at the mercy of water vendors.
“Ever since I moved into this area, we only had tap water twice in 2014 but from then till now, I buy water from vendors at a very costly amount, between N18,000 and N20,000.
“Again, we cannot do borehole due to the topography of Enugu which is covered by coal,” one of the residents said.
The situation is similar in Emene and Achara layout, as residents also buy water in gallons from wells and vendors.
Chima Agu, a restaurant operator in Emene, and Jonas Okereke, in Achara layout, said they bought 25-litre gallon of water at N70 as against between N30 and N50 they purchased in January.
Mr Agu attributed the situation to the dry season as many wells had dried up due to the harmattan.
Meanwhile, Dubem Onyia, the special adviser to the Enugu State governor on Water Resources, said the government was confronting the water challenges in the state.
Mr Onyia disclosed this in Enugu on Thursday in a statement.
He assured the residents that the issue of inadequate water supply, one of the key challenges Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi administration inherited, would soon be history.
The governor’s aide said the present administration was doing a lot with the “lean” resources at its disposal to address the issue of water in Enugu metropolis.
He noted that some areas in Enugu metropolis, such as Iva Valley, GRA, New Haven, Ogui, Asata, Uwani, some parts of Achara Layout, Abakpa Nike, Trans Ekulu, and Thinkers Corner, enjoyed potable water supply.
Mr Onyia assured residents in other areas that they would soon enjoy adequate potable water supply.
He disclosed that the state government had commenced comprehensive rehabilitation of the 9th Mile Crash Programme, with solar powered boreholes.
The governor’s aide said the upgrade of the 9th mile Crash Programme would ensure adequate supply of potable water from Oji River, Ajali and Iva Water schemes.
Mr Onyia revealed that a N600 million contract was recently awarded to FordMarx Nigeria Limited for the rehabilitation of the 9th Mile Crash Programme.
The company had mobilised to site, he said.
Mr Onyia said the water project, which will be solar-powered to address the peculiar challenges of power failure, would boost the volume of water being reticulated from the water schemes to Enugu metropolis.
The state government had commenced the bid opening and evaluation meeting for new Okwojo Ngwo boreholes augmentation to Enugu metropolis, according to the governor’s aide.
He said the state government had committed funds to the actualisation of the Federal Government Adada Dam Water Project in Nsukka.
Ifesinachi Nnabugwu reporting, Obinwannem News
