‘Wonderful Water’ Oji River: Enugu water station where 100 percent of neat water captured in the Reservoir wastes as run-off, on daily basis (Part one)

It is a gory and sad story but it is a reality that more than 98 percent of natural clean water with over 99 percent purity generated at Oji River water works in Enugu state wastes away on daily basis because the entire system of pumping and reticulation within the town and surrounding communities has completely broken down,neglected and abandoned.

From the records, The Oji River water station popularly known as ‘Wonderful water’ Oji River with it’s natural pressure generates volumes of water on daily basis for over two centuries. With the aid of the pumping machines and a nearby reservoir established by the British colonial administration, the Wonderful water Oji River was reticulated across the Oji River town up to the School of Health Technology, the nearby communities of Dodo, Ugwunzu, Agbalaenyi etc and ready for more up to the mid 80\s, but what exactly reversed the trend to the current abysmal total collapse is very mind bugling and a source of worry to any individual, group of persons or government who knows what it takes to source clean water.

In a recent visit, the writer of this report observed that only an infinitesimal part of the Wonderful water Oji River out of the thousands of cubic volumes that springs up every minute of the day is captured for human consumption. Those are the ones sold to the commercial tankers,who repeatedly comes into the water works, few taps within the vicinity where cyclists and private car owners who knows the purity of the Wonderful water Oji River.

At the back of the Pump house, another outlet of Oji River wonderful water is channeled to run into the main river. However, the residents are availed the opportunity to wash their clothes, bath and equally fetch water from it by the aid of pipe constructed bt the local government chairman and gutter through which the neat water flows into the main Oji River stream.have which the residents

The most painful waste is that besides,the non functioning Pump house, where a reservoir into which most of the water are captured from the base situates. Unfortunately, an elongated pipe is constructed on top of that same reservoir through which the entire water which enters into this particular reservoir is channeled into the bush as run off and waste. A source to this writer that this sad and ugly system of waste of Oji Wonderful clean water continues on 24 hours basis in the years ,instead of rectifying the the reticulation routes by the concerned authorities,so that the residents can have access to pipe born water once again of which they are willing to pay for it.

Four members of Oji River Landlords Association namely Mr Valentine Chinedu,Mr Bennett Maduezue, Okoli Celestine and Obinna Nwokolo in a chat, pleaded for the reactivation of the reticulation lines of the Oji River Wonderful water, stating that the pressure of the water is so much that it still posses the capacity to effectively supply water to various parts of Oji River Urban and beyond. They are pleading for the authority to embark on the project on their own.

The pains of the members of the Oji River Landlord Association who spoke to this writer is equally overbearing among other residents and stakeholders of Oji River local government area. Most of them are embittered that no arm of government has considered it wise to restore the reticulation of water within Oji River town and nearby communities,stating the increasing population can afford to foot the bills as water rate on monthly basis or thereabout.

Checks revealed that the in addition to the increasing population of residents of Oji River Urban, both staff and students of the Nigeria Police College training, the Minimum prison, College of Health Technology, the Federal Cooperative College, the General Hospital, EEDC Oji River,School of the deaf and blind, including the private establishments and hotels that are gradually springing across Oji River, are in dire need of restoration and reticulation of Oji River Wonderful water with over 99 percent natural putty. The nearby communities of Ahani Achi and Ugwuoba,who are host communities of Oji Urban, are equally expressing their urge for Oji Wonderful water to be extended to their communities,when the pumping station is restored.

Some of the natives who spoke with this writer said they are not against the fact that the Greater Enugu water scheme is sourced from Oji River by ex Governor Chime administration, but the fact remains that most of the communities within Achi,Inyi,Akpugoeze, Ugwuoba, Awlaw, etc all under Oji River local government area are in dire need of neat water,pleading the state government to replicate the same process for Oji River communities and beyond.

Experts hold the view that apart from the ‘Oji Wonderful water’, the vast flowing Oji (main)river posses the capacity to be reticulated as a major source of pipe borne water supply to parts of Udi and Ezeagu local government areas of Enugu state utilising booster stations.

By so doing creating a lots of job opportunities for both skilled and the unskilled unemployed Youths along the line and an avenue of increasing the internally generated revenue(IGR) of the state government.

Interpretatively,abandonment and neglect by concerned authorities has been the bane of Oji River wonderful water, to the detriment of the residents,surrounding towns and paving way for even development of Enugu state.

End.

NB…..For South East page.