Nkechinyere Ewa-Okpara
NKAH Chinedu, Commissioner for Water Resources Ebonyi State, said the federal government of Nigeria and the Ebonyi State government have completed about 49 Boreholes in critical communities in the State.
This is to ensure quality drinking water in rural communities to avoid further outbreaks of cholera in the communities.
He said the project was completed under the federal government’s Partnership for Expanded Water and Sanitation and Hygiene PWASH in collaboration with the Ebonyi Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency.
“ We are doing a lot in the area of rural water sanitation. First of all, what we did was to revitalize the Ebonyi State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, which is the main focus of this rural water supply.
“And through this agency, there’s a program we are doing with P-WASH. PWASH is called Partnership for Expanded Water and Sanitation and Hygiene. So we collaborate with this federal government agency to build boreholes. And as I am talking to you, we have completed 49 boreholes.
“And we selected critical communities. Of course, it’s not enough. We did this in four local governments, Izzi inclusive. We did 10 or 11 in Izzi local government. We did it in Ikwo. We did it in Ohaukwu, We did it in Afikpo. We did it in Ivo. And we are going to do more because it’s not enough.
“I also went to these communities, and I saw the source of water, and it is not something to write home about. So we’re going to increase the number of boreholes in those critical areas. Not only that, we are going to also build toilets. Toilets are also very important because it’s another major source of cholera outbreaks.
“Even in urban areas, go to this pottery market, enter that bush, everywhere they use it for defecating. So it’s very dangerous.
When the rain falls, it washes the whole thing back into the water and the community drinks it, and it becomes a serious problem. So we are taking that very, very seriously.
“We are going to do more boreholes because we have not done enough. But the important thing is that we have started. These are programs we have completed in rural areas. And like you said, we have not publicized our activities very much. So, last time, we went on inspection to ensure that these boreholes were working. I went with the chief of staff and other people and the community people were so excited. They said it was the first project that was completed by this administration in their community.
“Then the old boreholes, over 98 per cent of them, are damaged, you pointed out, over 98 per cent of them. So I am talking to ALGON so that we can partner to fix all these boreholes in the communities. Why would the local government not join? We have enough trained manpower to repair these boreholes.
And some of them will cost less than 100,000 to repair. So we are urging the local governments to partner with us. We will provide the manpower. Just little things and these boreholes will be fixed. It’s not everything that they leave for the state.“