Rehabilitation of Selected Water Schemes Commences in Osun

Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

In a bid  to provide sustainable water supply for the people of Osun State, the state Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has directed a phased rehabilitation of selected water works and water pipeline networks across the state.

This new directive is coming as the sinking of 332 boreholes under direct labour and shoestring budget reached 85 percent, remaining as at today only about four local government areas to round off their implementation in the state.

Governor Adeleke, acting on a committee report relating to the worsening state of infrastructure within the water sector, approved the immediate upgrade of pipeline networks of both Ede and Osogbo water works alongside the repairs and recharging of water filter media at Iwo and Eko-ende water works.

The water scheme at Esaoke is also under rehabilitation for supply of potable water while the governor is following up with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources for the completion of Ile Ife water project.

The state government is also interfacing with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to resolve the delay created by the mismanagement of Ilesa Water Project with particular reference to the contractor and the project managers.

A top adviser to the governor, Dr. Bashiru Tokunbo Sallami, who confirmed the rehabilitation in the water sector, affirmed that the administration has a holistic programme to address the challenges facing the water sector in the state.

According to him, the administration adopted a mix of solutions which include sinking of boreholes in all the wards across the state, even as he acknowledged that the 332 boreholes are not sufficient to cater for the citizen’s water needs.

“It was the realisation of this project from the beginning that the governor approved the phased rehabilitation of the state water pipeline networks. The goal is to systematically address the many technical hitches facing water supply in the state,” Salami noted.

Details from the state Water Corporation showed that the agency mostly operates on old Asbestos Cement (AC) pipes laid several decades ago which are in a terrible state of functionality. The upgrade that is ongoing for Ede and Osogbo water works will replace the old run down pipes with the HDPE pipes-the modern durable material-in the sector.

Aside from the upgrade of the pipeline networks, the water filtration systems for Iwo is also approved for rehabilitation and repairs to allow water reach present areas of coverage. The same filtration project is ongoing for Eko-ende which serviced Ikirun, Iragbiji among other adjacent towns.

Once the water filtration systems for both Eko-ende and Iwo water works are completed, the administration plans to issue new approvals for the pipeline networks upgrade for both water schemes.

Meanwhile, the administration has denied reports from some quarters that N14 million was the cost of each of the 332 boreholes, describing the report as false, as each borehole cost far less than insinuated, as the full details will be made available during ‘Ipade Imole’ event, the state government said.