Get Guardian on GoogleOndo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has intensified efforts to restore reliable pipe-borne water supply across the state following the arrival of equipment and the first batch of ductile iron pipes for the rehabilitation of the Owena Multipurpose Dam Water Treatment Plant and expansion of Akure’s water infrastructure.
Aiyedatiwa disclosed this on Wednesday while inspecting the consignment delivered by CGC Nigeria Limited at the Governor’s Office, Alagbaka, Akure. He charged the contractor to comply strictly with approved technical specifications and the project schedule.
The governor said the equipment, procured from China, was for the National Urban Water Sector Reform Project and the Akure Urban Water Supply Project.
The projects cover the rehabilitation of the Owena water treatment plant, construction of an 800mm ductile iron transmission pipeline to Akure township, a new reservoir at Oke Aro, expansion of distribution networks and rehabilitation of three township reservoirs at Okebola.
Describing the arrival of the materials as a major milestone, Aiyedatiwa said his administration was determined to provide sustainable access to potable water and ensure the projects were completed without unnecessary delays.
He noted that restoring reliable water supply was one of the promises made during his election campaign, which his administration was committed to fulfilling.
According to him, the projects are being implemented by the Ondo State Water Corporation with support from the French Development Agency and the African Development Bank. They are designed to distribute treated water from the Owena Multipurpose Dam and expand access to safe drinking water in selected communities across Akure.
“We want to deliver this as soon as possible. Our time here is tenured. I want to deliver a legacy project for our people, based on the promises we made during our election campaign.
“We don’t want to make these promises without fulfilment. And this is one of the fulfilments of those promises, by providing healthy, clean, pipe-borne water for our people to drink,” the governor said.
The Administrative Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, Public Sanitation and Hygiene, Victoria Adetoye, said the arrival of the pipes had dispelled doubts about the feasibility of the project.
She commended the governor’s commitment to the water sector and expressed optimism that residents of the benefiting communities would have access to water in their homes by the same period next year.
Adetoye said the first phase would cover six local government areas in the Central Senatorial District and Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo in the South, bringing the number of benefiting councils to seven.
