Kent Housing provides borehole for school, community in Enugu

In an effort to resolve perennial water scarcity in Enugu State, Kent Housing, in conjunction with Ripple Heights and Daughters of Divine Love (DDL), has provided a borehole for pupils of Bishop Okoye Memorial Nursery and Primary School, Nnssuka, to provide pupils, as well as the community with portable drinking water.

Speaking at a press conference, the Chief Executive of Kent Housing, Chucks Uwaechia, said water is a prime necessity of life, and essential in meeting children’s needs in school.

Uwaechia said: “The water project we are providing with Daughter of Divine Love would play a critical role in the life of children in this community. According to the need assessment made concerning the school, we realised that the community is in dire need of water, and so, we decided to make sure water is available in the school.”

Head of Project Ripple Height, Mr. Solomon Ogundo, said what the team met on getting to the school was a matter of urgency.

“While we visit the school to do a need assessment, we realized that the pupil and staff of the school depend on rainwater for survival. A big tank for rain storage was kept in front of the school to get water during rainfall and we felt like, how long will the water sustain them moreover rain is seasonal, what happens during the dry season?

“We are happy that Kent Housing came as a source of help. They are willing to make it happen for those children and the community to be able to access good drinkable water.

“During the visit to the school, we realised that we need to take the water to the surrounding community because generally, the entire adjoining community lack good water.

“We will solve the school water problem and reticulate water out so that people in the community will have water.”

Head of Operations Ripple Heights, Mr Ben Edokpolo said the story is a very touching story and the water project is timely.

“Apart from the fact that the school lack water, they also have an issue with hygiene and sanitation. You can imagine a school with young pupils who don’t have access to water.

“The school also lack toilet facilities, what is available for the pupil to defecate is a big hole dug as a toilet without water facilities. Definitely, there will be issues of disease outbreaks as a result of poor hygiene and sanitation within the community.

Representative of Daughters of Divine Love (DDL), Sr. Sochima Anyunwu, commended Kent Housing on the laudable project to tackle water scarcity in the community.

“Another alternative to get water apart from the rainwater is the well water which is quite expensive due to the nature of the area and moreover the water always comes with impurities.

“Sometimes the students don’t take their birth to school, they only wash their face, hands and legs and come to school. The school and the community are in great need of water.

She solicited for support from well meaning Nigerians and cooperating organisations to come to the aid of the school as government cannot do it alone.