From Maurice Okafor, Enugu.
Water is known to be a very essential component of life. In every sector of life and human endeavour, water also plays critical. To that extent, the search for water, most especially clean water for human consumption is a serious concern for the authorities both at federal, state and local government levels. Even the rural communities try as much as possible to keep their sources of drinking water neat.
It is disheartening and sad story but it is a reality that more than 98 percent of natural clean water with over 99 percent purity generated at Oji River water works in Enugu state wastes away on daily basis because the entire system of pumping and reticulation within the town and surrounding communities has completely broken down, neglected and abandoned.
From the records, The Oji River water station popularly known as ‘Wonderful water’ Oji River with it’s natural pressure generates volumes of water on daily basis for over two centuries. With the aid of the pumping machines and a nearby reservoir established by the
British colonial administration, the Wonderful water Oji River was reticulated across the Oji River town up to the School of Health Technology, the nearby communities of Dodo, Ugwunzu, Agbalaenyi etc and ready for more up to the mid 80\s, but what exactly reversed the trend to the current abysmal total collapse is very mind bugling and a source of worry to any individual, group of persons or government who knows what it takes to source clean water.
In a recent visit, the writer of this report who was born and brought up in Oji town, observed that only an infinitesimal part of the Wonderful water Oji River out of the thousands of cubic volumes that springs up every minute of the day is captured for human consumption. Those are the ones sold to the commercial tankers,who repeatedly comes into the water works, few taps within the vicinity where cyclists and private car owners who knows the purity of the Wonderful water Oji River contains.
At the back of the Pump house, another outlet of Oji River wonderful water is channeled to run into the main river. However, the residents are availed the opportunity to wash their clothes, bath and equally fetch water from it by the aid of pipe constructed bt the local government chairman and gutter through which the neat water flows into the main Oji River stream.have which the residents
Besides, the non functioning Pump house situates a reservoir whose major function is to capture the volumes of water which emanates with pressure and speed (thus the name Wonderful) from great depths, unfortunately the entire water captured by same reservoir is channeled as run off and waste into a nearby bush through an elongated pipe constructed on top of this reservoir. Not one drop of water from this reservoir is reticulated through pipes to the residents at least within the vicinity.
This ugly and deplorable state of ‘Oji wonderful water at the moment is schoking, unimaginable but it is a reality.
A source told this writer that this sad and ugly system of waste of Oji Wonderful clean water continues on 24 hours basis in the years ,instead of rectifying the reticulation routes by the concerned authorities,so that the residents can have access to pipe born water once again.stating they are willing to pay for it.
Four members of Oji River Landlords Association namely Mr Valentine Chinedu, Mr Bennett Maduezue, Okoli Celestine and Obinna Nwokolo, pleaded for the reactivation of the reticulation lines of the Oji River Wonderful water, stating that the pressure of the water is so much that it still posses the capacity to effectively supply water to various parts of Oji River Urban and beyond. They are pleading for the authority to embark on the project on their own.
The pains of the members of the Oji River Landlord Association who spoke to this writer is equally overbearing among other residents and stakeholders of Oji River local government area. Most of them are embittered that no arm of government has considered it wise to restore the reticulation of water within Oji River town and nearby communities, stating the increasing population can afford to foot the bills as water rate on monthly basis or thereabout.
Checks revealed that in addition to the increasing population of residents of Oji River Urban, both staff and students of the Nigeria Police College training, the Minimum prison, College of Health Technology, the Federal Cooperative College, the General Hospital, EEDC Oji River, School of the deaf and blind, including the private establishments and hotels that are gradually springing across Oji Urban are in dire need of restoration and reticulation of Oji River Wonderful water with over 99 percent natural putty. The nearby communities of Ahani Achi and Ugwuoba, who are host communities of Oji Urban, are equally expressing their urge for Oji Wonderful water to be extended to their communities, when the pumping station is restored.
Some of the natives who spoke with this writer said they are not against the fact that the Greater Enugu water scheme is sourced from Oji River by ex-Governor Chime administration, but the fact remains that most of the communities within Achi,Inyi,Akpugoeze, Ugwuoba, Awlaw, etc. all under Oji River local government area are in dire need of neat water,pleading the state government to replicate the same process for Oji River communities and beyond.
Experts advocates that a water scheme with capacity of generating and distributing water across to Ezeagu local government and Udi communities from the vast Oji River(Mmiri Oji) in Oji River local government is a feasible and realizable project, which in return will boost the internal generated revenue(IGR) of Enugu state. Along the line, it will create lots of job opportunities for both skilled and unskilled labourers during reticulation, as well as it’s multiplier effect and economies of scale.
Unfortunately, No administration in the state is thinking in that direction since the return of democratic dispensation in 1999, when indigent elected civilian governors have been on the saddle of leadership of the state.
Interpretatively, neglect and abandonment has by the government been the bane of revitalising and broadening water sources from Oji River, to limit scarcity of water in several towns and communities in the state,with state government raking money from the enterprise at the long run.
