The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Commissioner for Water Resources

  • Umahi breaks eight years water scarcity jinx in Ebonyi

    Umahi breaks eight years water scarcity jinx in Ebonyi

    Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi has broken the age long jinx in the area of distribution of portable water in the state since inception of successive administrations.

    The Commissioner for Water Resources, Mrs. Euphemia Nwali stated this in Abakaliki Saturday while addressing journalists.

    She said the ministry has been able to fix all problems associated with reticulation of water across the state with the state capital taking the lead.

    She said the state government through the ministry of water resources had embarked on provision of affordable water to the people of Ebonyi state in a sustainable manner to improve living standard of the people.

    Nwali disclosed that following the water losses in the pipe network in Abakaliki metropolis, often occasioned by vandalism on the pipes conveying water from the Oferekpe water scheme, the state government embarked on comprehensive pipe replacement programme in order to reduce water loss, replaced aged pipes and ensured sustainability in water delivery.

    She said water has been reticulated to a distance covering over 500km using different sizes of HDP pipes which WHO recommended for water
    distribution and over 23 streets have been covered and HDP pipes ranging from 181 lengths of 6 HDP pipes and installation of fitting were also used to achieve the feat.

    The Commissioner also flayed the statement allegedly credited to the former General Manager of the defunct Ebonyi Water Corporation, Paul Okorie alleging that there was no water in the state and described the statement as pure falsehood coming from the propagandists of opposition party in the state.

    “The state government has completed two giant water schemes it inherited from the past administration example of such included the Iyiokwu washout chamber which was awarded to James JS Construction Company and Washing of Oferekpe Water transmission line.

    “The state government has been able to design and initiate the construction of new water scheme in Ishiagu in Ivo local government area of the state and reconstruction of Uburu water scheme. All these were achieved within just two years in office and that is why water is running in every home in the state”

     

  • Abducted Cross River Commissioner regains freedom 

    One month after the he was abducted, the Commissioner for Water Resources in Cross River State, Mr Gabriel Oji, has been regained freedom.

    Oji was abducted by unknown gunmen on April 9 in Calabar. Initial reports had it that he was abducted at a restaurant along Mayne Avenue, but the State Security Adviser, Mr Jude Ngaji, said he was kidnapped in his house.

    Ngaji told The Nation Monday evening that Oji was back home and in good health.

    He however did not disclose the details of how he was released.

    He said the circumstances surrounding the abduction was more than kidnapping for ransom, but said details about that would be made known eventually.

    He said no ransom was given the commissioner’s release. “Cross River does not pay and will never pay ransom,” he said.

     

  • Bauchi develops 30-year water supply plan

    Bauchi develops 30-year water supply plan

    The Bauchi State Government has said that it has developed a 30-year water plan for the state.

    The Commissioner for Water Resources, Alhaji Ghali Abdulhamid, said this when he spoke with newsmen in Bauchi on Thursday.

    Abdulhamid explained that all existing, dams and schemes would be expanded so that it would supply uninterrupted water for the next 30 years.

    “This has became necessary because such dams like Gubi Dam and others can no longer meet the demands of the people.

    “Nobody envisage that Bauchi State will expand at this quick pace and therefore, there is no development plan put in place for the expansion of such dams.

    “Following influx of people from neighbouring states because of the insurgency, the facilities have been overstretched, hence, the need to develop a future plan,” he said.

    Abdulhamid said that the state government had paid N140 million counterpart fund to UNICEF for the drilling of 300 boreholes in some local government areas.

    He said the state government had also embarked on the drilling of additional 180 boreholes in eight selected local governments and works were at various stages of completion.

    Abdulhamid said the state government had rehabilitated about 1,000 hand pump boreholes and 48 solar propelled boreholes while 25 new ones have been drilled.

    “We have a big dream in 2017 for the people of the state as African Development Bank (ADB) has approved $250 million  U.S dollars for five states in the North-East.

    “These are Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba and Yobe States and hopefully Bauchi State is going to have about $50 million dollars.

    “About $40 million dollars would be spent on the water sector while Ministry of Commerce, Health, Education, Agriculture, Local Government Affairs and Economic Planning and Budget, will also benefit from the balance,” he said.

    The.commissioner said that “it is a five-year plan and the government will use it to improve the living standard of its people, especially in the area of water supply and sanitation.

    “We also have World Bank $72 million dollars water reform project for Bauchi metropolis, which is approved for three states: Bauchi, River and Ekiti states,” he said.

  • KDSG to spend N1.4bn on water rehabilitation

    KDSG to spend N1.4bn on water rehabilitation

    Kaduna State Government says it will spend over N1.4 billion to rehabilitate seven water treatment plants cross the state, to boost water supply.

    The Commissioner for Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Lere disclosed this while addressing journalists on Tuesday in Kaduna on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting.

    He said the council has approved the immediate commencement of work on the seven water treatment plants.

    Lere said that the project would be conducted in phases, with the first phase involving the plants located in Saminaka, Kafanchan, Manchok and Kagoro.

    “The second phase will be followed by the three plants within Kaduna metropolis.

    “These include the Malali old treatment plant, the Kaduna South plant which has 27 million litres daily capacity and the plant in Kaduna North, also situated at Malali with 150 million litre per day capacity.”

    According to the commissioner, the objective of the project is to restore the treatment plants back to their optimum capacity.

    “Prior to now, I have made pronouncements on the deplorable condition of the plants and the fact that they have not been able to produce optimal quantity of the potable water that they were designed to produce.

    “The essence of the rehabilitation work is to bring them up to their designed capacity, to increase and enhance the quantity of potable water to residents,” he said.

    Lere disclosed that the government had also signed a contract for the supply of operational vehicles for the state water corporation.

    He said that 45 Toyota Hilux vehicles and 203 motorcycles would be supplied at the cost of N800 million.

    According to him, funding for the projects, which also involves supply of heavy duty vehicles, was gotten from African Development Bank.