ENUGU LAWMAKERS LAMENT OVER MORIBUND WATER SCHEMES: Call for Their Reactivation

The Enugu State House of Assembly has mandated the State Ministry of Water Resources to commence rehabilitation and reactivation of moribund and abandoned water schemes in various communities.

The Chairman House of Assembly Committee on Water Resources, Mr. Anthony Ogidi stated this when he led members of the committee on an oversight function in the ministry.

The Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Anthony Ogidi lamented the non-functionality of most boreholes and other water schemes in rural communities where government spent huge investment was unacceptable and called on the ministry to put them into use without delay.

He commended the State Government for her intervention in the water sector, which he said was geared towards improving supply in the area.

MrOgidi however explained that the house was ready to assist the ministry on the provision of water healthy laws that would encourage external donors and private sector to invest in the water sector in the State.

A member of the Committee, Dame Nkechi Omejeogbu appealed to the Ministry to do every possible to intervene in the collapsed Nsukka borehole along University road and other related projects in some communities that were no longer functional.

The Commissioner for Water resources, Chief Charles Egumgbe attributed failure of some community water projects to inability of some community water project management committees to live up to expectation.

He stated that inadequate power supply to the two major sources of water, Ajali and Oji river was a major challenge affecting the sector.

Chief Egumgbe pointed out that the State was considering independent energy to power the two sources.

The committee also commended the State Government on its various interventions, noting that water problem would soon be a thing of the past.

OLIVER OSSAI