Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State on Thursday declared emergency in
the water sector to ensure water supply to all nooks and crannies of
the state.
He made the declaration in Ikun Ekiti, Moba Local Government Area of
the state where he had gone to kick-start the turn around water
rehabilitation project at Ero Dam to supply water to many major towns
in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governor
consequently promised to take legal and institutional steps to also
make the state open defecation free before 2030.
He said it was in a bid to reduce the level of water borne diseases in
Ekiti and make the commodity available to residents that he declared
the emergency in water sector.
According to him, the people must be saved from preventable Illnesses
through provision of potable water.
He clarified that the emergency was in line with the step taken by
President Muhammadu Buhari.
Buhari had initiated similar policy under a programme called Water
Supply Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in partnership with the world
bank.
NAN reports that the project, which will gulp 55 million dollars, was
awarded to Sagittarius Henan Engineering and is to be completed within
18 months.
The governor said the WASH programme of the Federal Government and
world bank was initiated to reduce amount being paid by Nigerians on
hospital bills after contacting all forms of diseases from unhygienic
water sources.
Fayemi said statistics had shown that water supply to urban cities and
rural areas in the country had reduced by 15 and four per cent
respectively, in spite of geometric increase in the population.
The governor added that the state had already paid N700 million
counterpart fund to complete the project that was approved by the
world bank in 2014.
“It was because of the safety of the citizens that the Federal
Government declared emergency in WASH. So, Ekiti has keyed into the
programme with this project.
“Ekiti was ranked second in Nigeria as a state that practised open
defecation . We shall put up institutional and legal frameworks to
ensure Ekiti is open defecation free before 2030
“Part of what accounted for this high practice was because of low
water supply to our homes
“We are making our traditional rulers as champions that would canvass
for open defecation-free and if we are going to stop our palaces from
digging boreholes here and there, we as government should provide
water to our people
“We have done our feasibility studies, 85 per cent of our water in
Ekiti shall be provided by Ero and Egbe dams if they operate at
optimal capacity,” he said.
The governor assured that affordable tariff would be charged by
government and that such would be metred to prevent extortion.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Utilities, Mr Olumide
Ajayi, said rehabilitation on Egbe dam located in Gbonyin Local
Government was also being co-financed by European Union and Ekiti
State.
Ajayi said the two projects would supply water to over 66 towns across
nine local government areas in the state.
He urged the beneficiaries to be ready to pay affordable tariffs and
maintain the facilities when completed.
The General manager , Ekiti State Water Corporation, Mr Olabisi
Agbeyo, revealed that this was the first time major rehabilitation
would be carried out on Ero dam in 33 years.
“As we speak, Ekiti is not owing a kobo as counterpart payment; we
have paid up and this shows how committed the state was in water
supply”, Agbeyo said.
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