Enugu Govt. to revive N4.5bn Akwuke water project

The Enugu State Government says it will resuscitate the abandoned N4.5b water project located in Akwuke in Enugu South Local Government Area of the state. The Commissioner for Water Resources, Mr Felix Nnamani, stated this on Thursday in Enugu during a meeting with the Water Resources Committee of the State House of Assembly chaired by Mrs Obiajulu Ugwu and the ministry of water resources. Nnamani said the project, which was initially handled by the Anambra-Imo River Commission, when completed, would supply enough water to the residents of the Enugu metropolis. He revealed that work was on top gear to ensure that the Adada water scheme operated at full capacity saying the project would meet the water needs of thousands of Nsukka residents. On the interim, he added that, the state government was importing quality pumps and other accessories to ensure that the Oji River and the Ninth Mile water schemes were resuscitated. According to him, the Ninth Mile water scheme was supplying 60,000 cubic metres of water daily, which signified that Gov. Peter Mbah was committed to fullfilling his campaign promises. Nnamani also regretted that most taps in the 473 communities of the state were moribund, assuring that the faulty taps would soon be fixed and restored to function. On his part, the Programme Monitoring Evaluation Officer of WaterAid Nigeria, Mr Eteta Eta, urged the government to channel more attention on how to sustain and maintain the existing water schemes. Eta attributed poor water supply to some communities in the state to lack of maintenance and protection of the water installations. He urged the benefitting communities to cultivate the good culture of protecting water installations in their communities for efficient and regular water supply . In her remarks, the committee chairman said the familiarisation visit was to enable them have first-hand information as well as interact with those in charge of water sector in the state. Ugwu stressed the need for all stakeholders to be in the same page, as it regards to the provision of portable water to the residents of Enugu state, was paramount to their lives.