By: Felix Ikpotor
Stakeholders in the water sector have commended the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Agency (HYPREP) for undertaking to provide portable drinking water for the people of Ogoniland in Rivers State as recommended by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
The stakeholders who spoke during a visit to the water project sites after a two-day workshop in Port Harcourt, affirmed that the projects were up to the World Health Organisations , WHO, standard.
Professor Johnson Otun, a water engineer and water governance expert while fielding questions from journalists at one of the sites in Alesa, Eleme local government area of the state stated that the work done by the interventionist agency so far is acceptable.
“Let me appreciate HYPREP for following the right way in addressing this issue of water in Ogoniland and those sites I have visited, I appreciate the level of inputs and constructions. There are few technical issues that we have discovered which we intend to discuss with the contractors so that things would be put in right shape for future sustainably of this water scheme. Overall, I believe that HYPREP is on the right part. The work is good,” he’s said.
Also speaking, paramount ruler of the community, Emere Emperor John Nkpe also gave kudos to HYPREP for the water project.
“We are satisfied with HYPREP. This water is of international standard,” he noted.
On his part, Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Dr. Ferdinand Giadom said the essence of the workshop is to integrate a sustainability plan for the project.
He maintained that the agency is poised to provide water that would last the test of time for the people of Ogoni.
“The essence of the workshop is to integrate the sustainability plan into the process of providing portable water for Ogoni communities,” he said.
The PC added: “Why are we talking about sustainability? It’s one thing to provide water today and it’s another thing to ensure that the water will subsists and serve the needs of the present generation and the future generation. So what we are doing now is to go round the water facilities we have provided and to find out ways of ensuring that sustainability. We have come to the Alesa plant which has been built and has been said to be the most standard station and we are trying to compare this with the other stations that HYPREP is building and rehabilitating and when we see any deviation from the norm, we take note and put correction measures in place that will ensure sustainability”.
On the sustainability plan Giadom said HYPREP is installing systems that will last.
“Talking about sustainability, this water should serve the needs of the present generation and also that of future generations. So we must install systems that will last, we must install systems that will ensure that the quality of water that is provided to the communities will be of the right standards and meets World Health Organisations (WHO) standards for drinking water limit and be consistent into the future. We want to provide water that would last beyond 20, 30 years and far into the future. So that’s the idea of convoking this workshop,” he stated.
Sites visited includes Lot 6 Bori, Lot 3 Terabor -Gokana, Lots 5 Korokoro and Nonwa Tai, Lot 2 Ebubu Eleme and Lots 1 Alesa Eleme.
