The people of Anambra State can heave a sigh of relief as they now have access to clean functional tap water, thanks to the statewide water revolution by Governor Chukwuma Soludo. The people can now say bye-bye to water-borne diseases and trekking long distances to fetch water. Anambra is one State that has not been affected by the Cholera epidemic that ravaged some parts of the country. And this can rightly be attributed to Governor Soludo’s aggressive rehabilitation, reactivation, reticulation and fresh deployments of portable water facilities where none existed in the State’s local government areas and communities.
Giving an account on the provision of clean water to Ndi-Anambra, Engineer Julius Chukwuemeka, Commissioner for Power and Water Resources, said the resuscitation of the Greater Awka Water Scheme is at ninety-five percent completion stage. Water generation has been one hundred percent completed with ten boreholes at Aroma and eleven boreholes at Anambra Broadcasting Service, ABS. Three sources of power have been installed and are functional including EEDC, Generator and Solar. This is to ensure the ceaseless supply of water.
Reticulation work, currently ongoing around the Ifite axis has reached witness Garden while the Awka Main side has reached Eke Awka. All together, about fifteen kilometer of reticulation has been undertaken. Renovation of the Water Corporation Headquarters is at an advanced stage. Some thirty-four fetching points have been done.
He disclosed that the rehabilitation and reactivation of components of Greater Onitsha Water Supply Scheme stands at eighty percent completion status. The six out of seven industrial boreholes working with fifty HP pumps have been developed and are currently working. Engineer Chukwuemeka also stated that the rehabilitation and reactivation of components of the Greater Onitsha Water Supply Scheme-GRA Borehole and Packaged Treatment System is at sixty percent completion stage.
According to him, the rehabilitation and reactivation of components of Greater Onitsha Water Supply Scheme-Terminal Reservoir, Army Barracks, Onitsha is eighty five percent completed. The Commissioner confirmed that the rehabilitation and reactivation of the Otuocha Water Scheme is eighty-five percent completed. The original five km pipeline reticulation network has been one hundred percent restored. Others include the rehabilitation and reactivation of the Obizi Regional Water Scheme which is fifty percent done, and the rehabilitation and reactivation of the Nnewi Urban Water Scheme is eighty-five percent done.
In the Small Town Water Supply Scheme category, the rehabilitation of Agulu-Aguiyi Small Town Water Supply Scheme is at sixty-five percent of completion.
The rehabilitation and reactivation and management of Nkpologwu Small Town Water Supply Scheme had been completed and the technical handover done.
Other Small Town Water Schemes nearing completion include: Obosi, Umunze, Akwu-ukwu, Achalla, Ozubulu, Azigbo, Omasi-Agu, Mkpunando, Ihiala, Abube Agu Nando, Ukpo and Osomalla.
The progress thus far shows that well over fifty-five out of the sixty-eight Rural Water Schemes have been completed. The rest are at different stages of completion.
Solution is definitely here on the potable water front via the mandate of the Solution Governor.
Written by SIR PAUL NWOSU
