The residents of Onitsha and it’s environs will soon smile as Greater Onitsha Water Scheme will come on stream to recticulate and supply safe and clean water to households as it were over 20 years ago.
Greater Onitsha Water Scheme comprises Water Board Governor’s Lodge GRA Onitsha, Owelle Ebo Layout, Army Barracks and Water Works Nkisi, with a combined storage capacity of 135,000 cubic liters of water, designed to supply clean and safe pipe borne water to residents of Onitsha metropolis.
The rehabilitation programme of the Greater Onitsha Water Scheme, with contract sum of N1.8 billion in 2014, would have been completed under former Governor Willie Obiano’s administration. However his successor, Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo wants to complete the project before the end of this year following his promise during his electioneering campaign in 2021 to give Ndi Anambra pipe borne water and end scarcity of water in the state.
But when the House of Assembly Committee on Power and Water Resources inspected the sites to ascertain the level of works done by various contractors six months after awarding the contracts, it discovered that impressive works are ongoing while more works need to be done particularly some grey areas.
The Committee observed that several maintenance activities were underway, including work on reservoirs, treatment plants, reticulation pipings, clearing operations, solar-powered boreholes, among other improvements.
The Chairman of the Committee and member representing Ihiala Two Constituency, Hon Golden Iloh said they are there on oversight of crash programme of various water schemes in the state to ensure that water, a component divident of democracy is given to Ndi Anambra.
He noted that the committee will meet the Commissioner for Public Utilities and contractors handling the projects to address grey areas critical to the eventual completion of the projects in record time.
On his part, the Majority Leader of the House and member representing Ekwusigo Constituency, Hon Ikenna Ofodeme identified water, power and education as the three major social amenities that are critical to human existence, hence the rehabilitation of water schemes will supply clean and safe pipe borne water to Ndi Anambra as well as curb environmental degredation and litering of satchet water on the street.
Additionally, the Resuscitation and Expansion of Otuocha Regional Water Scheme is nearing completion to give people of Anambra state access to clean and portable water under this administration.
The visiting team include the member representing Oyi Constituency, Hon Innocent Ojike and his Orumba South counterpart, Engineer Emma Nwafor..
