The Ondo State Government has begun moves to restore pipe-borne water supply, with seven local government areas expected to benefit from the first phase of its urban water rehabilitation project.
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa disclosed this on Wednesday while inspecting equipment and the first batch of ductile iron pipes delivered for the rehabilitation of the Owena Multipurpose Dam Water Treatment Plant and expansion of Akure’s water infrastructure.
The materials, supplied by CGC Nigeria Limited and procured from China, are for the National Urban Water Sector Reform Project and the Akure Urban Water Supply Project.
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Aiyedatiwa charged the contractor to comply with approved technical specifications and ensure timely completion, describing the delivery as a major step towards restoring access to safe drinking water in the state.
The projects include the rehabilitation of the Owena treatment plant, construction of an 800mm ductile iron transmission pipeline to Akure, a new reservoir at Oke Aro, expansion of distribution networks and rehabilitation of three township reservoirs at Okebola.
The governor said his administration was determined to fulfil its campaign promise of providing residents with clean and accessible pipe-borne water.
“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,” he said.
“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,” he added.
The projects are being implemented by the Ondo State Water Corporation with support from the French Development Agency and the African Development Bank.
The Administrative Secretary of the 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 expressed optimism that residents of 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 Southern Senatorial District, bringing the number of benefiting councils to seven.
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