After 12 years, Ebonyi begins public water supply, excited residents rejoice
From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki
Ebonyi State Government has commenced public water supply across Abakaliki, the state capital. The state has been without public water for about 12 years following the destruction of some water schemes.
The present administration, however reactivated the water schemes and commenced the distribution of water to the residents of Abakaliki and its environs.
Daily Sun saw public water running in Ezeobodo Lane by Nnorom Street, Goddy Ogbaga Avenue, Emefo Street. St. Patrick Primary School Kpirikpiri and Udemezue Street among others in the metropolis. Residents of the areas were seen fetching water from public taps, and praising government for the effort.
One of the residents, Mrs. Vincent Nnenna Okorie, said she was spending N500 daily to buy borehole water and commended Governor Francis Nwifuru for restoring public water to the state.
“Today is my first day of fetching public water and I thank God for restoring this water to the state because water is life. At least, I didn’t go to borehole today to buy water.
“I used to spend N500 to buy borehole water. I have been relived today because this N500 I would have spent on borehole water can serve as pepper money for me,” she said.
Another residents, Maduka Kingsley, said he has been enjoying the public water since last week. “We started having public water in our area last year but it later stopped. But since last week, we have been enjoying it steady and I commend our dear governor for it,” he stated.
Acting Commissioner of Water Resources, Franklin Ukah, who monitored the pumping of the water from Ezilo Water Scheme to the reservoir at Abakaliki, said that Nwifuru was determined to provide portable water to the resident of the state.
Ukah, who also moved round the streets of Abakaliki to monitor the supply of water to the various residential houses, expressed shock that some taps were damaged thereby leaking and wasting the water.
He warned landlords and caretakers of residential houses to repair and safeguard their water pipes and taps, stressing that defaulters would be arrested and their houses sealed for economic sabotage.
He said that Ezilo water scheme has commenced supply of water while the largest scheme at Oferekpe has been completed waiting to test run and full supply of water to Abakaliki.
He said: “We have water schemes in Oferekpe and Ezilo which has been completed while the Ukawu and Ishiagu schemes are nearing completion. When the schemes are completed, water will be reticulated across the state.”
Ebonyi State, since its creation has been facing perennial water problem, which contributed to guinea worm diseases suffered by the people in the past while they have continued to suffer cholera and other water borne diseases.
To find permanent solution to the problem, five mega water schemes were constructed. Most of them including Ezillo Water Treatment Plant, Oferekpe Water Scheme and Ukawu Water Scheme were constructed by the Martin Elechi administration. Some were constructed by military administrators who governed the state when it was created.
Currently, the state has five water schemes, namely; Ezillo Water Treatment Plant, Oferekpe Water Scheme, Old Abakaliki, Ukawu and Ishiagu Water Schemes. The Old Abakaliki scheme is the low lift water facility at Onuebonyi River which supplies water to the hilltop and Iboko reservoirs in the state.
The Ezillo Water Plant covers Ishielu and Ohaukwu local government area, some parts of Ezza North and Abakaliki local government areas. Oferekpe covers Ikwo and Ezza South local government areas, some parts of Abakaliki and Izzi local government areas. Ivo takes care of all the parts of Ivo local government area.
The Old Abakaliki scheme covers some parts of Izzi and Abakaliki Local Government Areas, while Ukawu Water Scheme is designed to serve all local government areas in the Southern part of the state, except Ivo local government area.
But the water schemes were not supplying the waters, especially the multi-billion naira Oferekpe Water Scheme, Ezillo Water Scheme and Ukawu Water Scheme after their completion. Oferekpe Water Scheme was completed, abandoned and was not put to use while Ezillio Water Scheme was vandalized by warlords during the communal war between the people of Ezillo and Ezza- Ezillo in the area which claimed many lives and lasted for years.
On assumption of office, Nwifuru declared a state-of-emergency on water supply and reticulation in the state. He started with Ezillo Water Scheme and it was revitalized. The state ministry of water resources has fixed the infrastructure from Ezillo to Umuoghara where the 40,000 cubic meter reservoir is.
The last time the reservoir was filled was in 2014. Currently, it is being fenced. But since completion of work at the scheme, the reservoir is always filled up and from there, water is circulated into Abakaliki and other areas where the scheme serves.
Some of the challenges encountered in getting Ezillo Water Scheme to function and reticulation of water into Abakaliki town was the issue of incessant broken pipes in many areas of the town. Given that for donkey years, water supply was abandoned, some residents built structures on water ways and pipes, while others had pipes destroyed.
Nwifuru, through the state ministry of water resources has continued to put these pipes in order to ensure there are no leakages. Oferekpe automated water treatment plant located in Ikwo local government area has a production capacity of 100,000m3 per day. It is the largest water scheme East of the Niger.
It was left to gradual but steady decrepitude after its completion by Martin Elechi administration until Nwifuru gave approval for its reactivation during the State Executive Council Meeting of July 3, 2024 and immediately released funds for the reactivation.
He appointed Prince John Nwamgbo (SA Mining Development) to chair the committee set up for the reactivation of the plant. The committee evaluated the plant and discovered some parts to be in good shape, while others were not, especially the water pipeline. They traced the pipeline from Oferekpe to Abakaliki and assessed the extent of the equipment needed to bring it back to life and vandalized items.
Currently, intensive work is ongoing there at the plant. The issues at the scheme included the infrastructure which includes fencing, pipeline, power transmission and the low lift.
Procurement of the vandalized items for the machines and the pipelines have been made and the machines at the plant are now working and ready to pump water. In terms of power, staff of EEDC are currently handling the transformer issues to ascertain the reason(s) for outage. Fencing will be done when the entire work has been completed.
However, the major challenge remains the massive pipeline from Abakaliki through Ikwo to Oferekpe. It is a whooping 52km from Centenary City to Oferekpe. The water infrastructure experienced series of vandalization. Valves and other equipment needed have all been procured and the engineering team is currently fixing the line from Abakaliki to Oferekpe.
The test-run of the scheme is ongoing as Nwifuru has replaced all the stolen equipment and returned the facility to life. The manager of the water scheme, Eric Alobu, who conducted journalists round the water scheme, said the scheme is currently undergoing test-run.
“The last time this water treatment plant worked was in 2018 when it was completed. Today, we are starting operation; it’s being a down time.
“Before now, there was a problem. The problem is that the chemical outline there was not working and it is part of what this very intervention has captured.
“Why it is as if we are not treating the water as it supposed to be is that we are just filing the lines and washing the system,” he said.
He assured that the plant will be lifting water to Abakaliki, the state capital all year round.
The state commissioner for information, Jude Okpor, told journalists at the water scheme that the state government has committed over N200million in the reactivation of the water scheme.
He said that even when the water scheme was completed in 2018, it was never put to use untill the present administration in the state reactivated it after it was vandalized. He disclosed that almost all the automation in the scheme were vandalized and looted.
He said: “I can tell you authoritatively that the state government has committed over N200million on this water scheme but our joy today is that it has started working.
“This scheme, at its full operational level, can serve the entire state. The only challenge we are still experiencing right now is to make sure that the pipeline from the water scheme down to the reservoir in Abakaliki is free.”
The commissioner averred that the water scheme will soon start supplying water to the state capital.
Old Abakaliki Water Scheme was the second point of call in the sector for Nwifuru. The governor had late night of October 4, 2023, went on an inspection tour of the moribund low lift facility at Ebonyi River. The low lift facility supplies raw water to the Juju Hill (high lift at hilltop). The road leading to the facility was impassable and bushy. It has been constructed by the governor with solid concrete.
zCurrently, constructions of a pump house, generator house and security house are ongoing at the facility. The contract includes laying of water pipe from the low lift to the high lift at the Juju Hill. After the required processes of purification, water is sent from the high lift to the massive Iboko reservoir.
Additionally, the governor is putting up a massive work at the Iboko Water Reservoir. There is an ongoing construction of a 500m3 circular tank. Fencing work is ongoing, whereas the pump and gate houses are as well under construction there. This reservoir covers Nwezenyi, Sharon, Iboko and all surrounding villages.
Ishiagu Water Scheme is also coming on nicely in good quality. An integral part of the high lift – the filter bed, is almost completed. This is where water is pumped after the necessary purification stages. The work includes a 1000 cubic meter reservoir tank at the headquarters of Ivo Local Government Area.
The fencing is almost completed as well. This project is a priority for the people of Ivo local government area. The governor released the sum of N420m for the construction of the table engineering work part of the project.
Only Ukawu Water Scheme is yet to receive attention though materials for its own reactivation has been procured by the governor. Meanwhile, the governor has suspended the commissioner for water resources in the state, Magnus Nkah, indefinitely.
Nkah was suspended following a petition against him by some members of Ukawu and Ishiagu communities in the state over the alleged looting of the materials meant for the reactivation of the two mega water schemes. The commissioner has handed over all government property in his possession to the permanent secretary of the ministry in line with the governor’s directive.
Daily Sun learned that some arrests have been made over the alleged looting of the water schemes with a committee set up to investigate the matter.