From IKECHUKWU NNADI, Enugu
These are, indeed, not the best of times for the residents of Enugu metropolis as the water crisis in the Coal-City State capital and environs has persisted.
Daily Query findings showed that the crisis is beginning to take a huge toll on the residents even as Christmas festivities set in.
Investigations revealed that the state government’s efforts to provide potable drinking water have yet to yield the desired results, leading to many water sellers cashing in on the scarcity to the detriment of the residents, as many of the water galleries built in parts of the city by the government have remained dry as a result of faulty equipment or lack of energy to power them.
According to our findings, the worst hit areas are
Abakpa Nike, Awkunanaw and New Haven.
However, investigation also revealed that a truck of a 500-gallon tank of water which used to be sold for between N10,000 and N12,000 now goes for as high as between N15,000 to N17,000, depending on the
distance.
It further revealed that a 750- gallon tank of water sells for between N16,000 and N18,000.
As the scarcity persists, in some parts of the city, a 25-litre gallon of drinking water sells for N300 while well water used for cooking is sold for between N50 and N70.
A water tanker driver, Mr Lawrence Nweke said the ugly development could be a combination of factors, including the high cost of transport and increased revenues.
A resident of Abakpa Nike, Mr Innocent Ugwuja who moved into the neighbourhood barely two weeks ago, said he was surprised that water scarcity persists in Enugu city, despite all the efforts by the state government.
“I schooled in Enugu, UNEC to be precise. I know for sure that some time last year when this administration came on board, they promised that water scarcity in Enugu city would be a thing of the past, but look at the current situation now.
“Gov. Mbah promised to provide water to Enugu residents within 180 days of commencement of its administration yet we are faced with scarcity,” he lamented.
A resident of the Akwuke area of Awkunanaw, Mrs Joy Okonkwo, said the water situation in the area was the same as it had always been.
“We buy water as usual, for example, a 25 litre of drinking water is N300 while well water is either N50 or N60, while some sell N70.
“As the dry season is setting in, many wells are already drying up and as usual we are resorting to buying from water tankers,” Okonkwo said.
She appealed to the state government to do something to end the perennial water scarcity facing the people.
It is the same situation in Independence Layout, Transekulu, Emene and Achara Layout as many residents have resorted to buying water from commercial water tankers.
Charity Onwuka, who lives in Independence Layout, said she spent N42,000 on a full tanker of 2,000 gallons every two weeks saying that it had not been easy for her and her household.
“I spend N84,000 every month on water alone as against N60,000 I spend during the dry season because I use my well during the rainy season.
“It is difficult to dig a borehole in Enugu because of the topography as the soil is covered with coal which is not healthy. So, I am appealing to the state government to intensify efforts at providing water for the people of the state,” he said.
Meanwhile, Governor Peter Mbah has assured the people of Enugu that his administration is doing all it could to bring water to the doorsteps of the residents.
Mbah reiterated this commitment to the restoration of constant water supply in Enugu during his
quarterly town hall meeting with Enugu State residents held over the weekend.
He disclosed that the government has signed a partnership agreement with Watson Nestor company, which has injected $100 million to help modernize the
water scheme project.
The Governor explained that while the company takes care of technical areas, the state government would take care of the production of water.
According to him, the company will replace the old pipes, take water to the doorsteps of the residents and provide meters.
Mbah explained that the payment of water rate would be 20 per cent less than what residents were spending on purchasing water.
Reacting specifically to the current water supply crisis in the metropolis, Governor Mbah assured the residents that the state government is already making plans to provide clean and adequate water to them.
According to Gov. Mbah, the recent signing of a $100 million investment agreement between the state government and a consortium of Austrian investors is to cover the last mile and ensure that water gets to every remaining home in the state capital and environs.
Governor Mbah gave the assurances at the weekend during a town hall meeting with the people of the state in Enugu, noting also that his administration has raised water production from occasional 2 million
litres to 120 million litres a day in 180 days.
The Governor said that the $100 million Foreign Direct Investment in the downstream water sector would boost and hasten the government’s effort at tackling the challenges of reticulation as well as relentlessly replacing old and asbestos pipes with ductile pipes.
“The only time you would have to appreciate the magnitude of challenges associated with those tertiary pipes is after you have allowed water to flow through them, and some of them after decades.
“That was when we started noticing burst pipes. We also started noticing that some of the pipes were still asbestos pipes and we needed to replace them.
“So, in terms of production, we have been able to achieve 150 per cent of our daily production needs. What we are now dealing with is the last mile; making sure that we get water to the last mile.
“Doing that, especially given the magnitude of what we have observed, is also cost intensive. But we are now fortunate that we have investors – and this is not loans or grants – but investors, who have undertaken to play in the downstream of our water management system.
“So, these investors are going to invest a hundred million dollars to ensure that they replace all the pipes leading to the last mile. So, 1.5 million households have been targeted for a start. That work will start in January in earnest. And they would also ensure it is sustained because they will ensure that it is metered. They will metre these homes as they do the tertiary pipelines,” he stated.
