Residents of major towns in Ogun state have been contending with water shortages especially public institutions in the last few months. In this report, OLUFEMI ADEDIRAN examines the extent and way out.
It is the peak of dry season and residents of major cities in Ogun state are suffering from acute shortage of water supply.
The last few months have been very agonising and stressful for residents who lack access to potable water supply.
For instance, four months running now, there has been acute water shortage in some parts of the state. This is because all the public pipes are dried up thereby forcing residents to look for water from unhygienic sources.
Some residents of Abeokuta, the state capital, who spoke with Blueprint narrated their ordeals and the stress they have passed through in search of potable water daily.
Investigations by Blueprint reveals that a 3,000 litres capacity water tanker which was sold for N5,000 before, now sells for between N5,500 and N7,000 depending on the location of the buyer.
The worse hit are the primary health centres in the state capital. Many of these health centres lack functional borehole facilities and public water systems.
This is how bad it isA visit to a primary health care centre in the Sabo area of Abeokuta revealed that patients, especially pregnant women who had come for delivery, could not have access to potable water for their personal use.Blueprint also gathered that the management of the health facility mandated families of respective patients to bring certain number of jerry cans of water both for the centre and personal usage.
One of the affected family members, Titilayo Balogun, who spoke lamented the stress patients, health workers and family members of patients go through to get potable water.
Balogun complained that the borehole facility that was sunk in the premises of the health centre had ceased to work, forcing her to bring seven 25-litres of jerry cans of water which she bought for N30 each for her sister who was about to give birth there.
She narrated that the health centre informed her that what she brought was not enough; therefore, still needs to bring additional five jerry cans.One of the nurses at the centre who spoke to Blueprint under the condition of anonymity admitted that the hand pump borehole donated by the administration of former Governor Olusegun Osoba in 2001 stopped working several years ago and has not been replaced.
She added that about six years ago, a member of the state House of Assembly also donated an electrical operated borehole which also stopped working when the pumping machine packed up.
“Since the pumping machine packed up, we have not been able to replace it and we have continued to source for water through other means available,” she said.According to her, the health centre has been relying on ‘Mairuwa’ (those who fetch water for certain amount of money) or water vendors to buy jerry cans of water on a daily basis.
She appealed to the government and other well meaning Nigerians to come to their aid and other primary health care facilities.
Major likely cause
Investigation reveals that what contributes to the failure of public water system is the newly- constructed roads in the state capital by the immediate past administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun.That administration embarked on reconstruction of many major roads especially in the state capital which gave way for new six-lane roads with some having fly-over bridges.During that period, many water pipelines were destroyed. While some were laid back, several others were not, thereby cutting off water supply to many parts of the city.
Solution to the problem
To solve the problem of acute shortage of water in the state, the Association of Water Well Drilling Rig Owners and Practitioners (AWDROP) have urged the state government to unbundle the Ministry of Environment by creating the Water Resources Ministry in line with the recommendation of UNICEF in providing adequate water supply to the people.The association insisted that the state government must create the Ministry of Water Resources to urgently address the problem of acute shortage of water supply in the state.
The national vice president of AWDROP, Oluwatoyin Yusuff, who spoke with Blueprint in an exclusive interview, lamented the failure of the public water system.He urged the government to commence the rehabilitation of abandoned and dysfunctional borehole facilities that are spread across the state to meet up with the water demand of the people.
According to him, “The public water system has failed, not only in Ogun state but also in most states of the federation. “Apart from that, there are many dysfunctional borehole facilities spread across the nooks and cranny of Ogun state. I will advise the government to start the programme of the rehabilitation of these boreholes and collaborate with AWDROP.
“It is very necessary for the state government to create the Ministry of Water Resources. This would solve the problem of acute shortage of water supply in the state. Water is life, there is no alternative to water, there is alternative to power supply because you have hydro power, solar and the wind system, among others, but for water supply, there is none.
“I know some states have the Ministry of Water Resources but we do not have that here in Ogun state. In accordance with water supply and sanitation sector reform programme initiated by UNICEF, there must be three spheres of water in Nigeria. There must be rural water, small town and urban water supply. This is the normal approach towards ensuring adequate water supply to the State.
“If the public system of water supply is working well, there won’t be need for drilling boreholes in major towns like Abeokuta, Ijebu-Ode and Sagamu,” Yusuff added.He urged the government to collaborate with the association to solve the problem of water supply in the state.
What the state gov’t didWorried about the development, the state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, embarked on an assessment tour of the state water project in Arakanga, Abeokuta North Local Government Area.
The governor while on the tour reiterated his administration’s commitment to the provision of over 7,000 homes in Abeokuta and other neighbouring towns.He assured that as soon as the transformer is restored, an additional 15,000 homes would have water supply restored to their various homes in the next few days.Abiodun also disclosed that his administration has intervened in the mirage of problems at the Ogun Osun River Basin Development Authority (OORBDA) to release some water to the corporation, adding that he has also called on the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company to restore power supply to the corporation.
“I have immediately intervened with the Ogun Osun River Basin Development Authority to release some water to the corporation because during periods like these, water level is so low and they need the intervention of the authority. They have nicely obliged us and they have started pumping water since yesterday.
“They also had problem with their power supply. I have also intervened and called on the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company to restore power supply to the corporation. Their transformers are also not working. I have also intervened and called on the company that repairs the transformers to try and ensure that the corporation gets at least one transformer back, probably in the next few days,” he said.
He disclosed that his administration would be taking a closer look at the operations of the water corporation, adding that his administration would now be more deliberate and also pay attention to the supply of water which to him is a basic, social service.
Abiodun also decried the state of non-visible investments at the corporation in the last 15 years, noting that his administration would look at the entire scheme, engage necessary consultants on the way forward.
Ogun water boss applauds govThe general manager, Ogun State Water Corporation, Engr Oluseye Olugbenga Maku, in his response appreciated the governor for taking his time to check the facility in order to see first hand its needs, saying that the intervention would go a long way in alleviating the suffering of the people.
The governor also visited the Abeokuta Old Water Scheme located in Iberekodo.Investigation shows that the outbreak of cholera in some major parts of Abeokuta few months ago might not be unconnected with the acute shortage of water supply and lack of toilet facilities.
The outbreak which claimed five lives hit major areas such as Abule-Otun, Lafenwa, Kuto and Idi-Aba all within Abeokuta.
