Stand Point

Kwara Water Scheme: End in sight perennial scarcity?

 

With Joke Adeniyi-Jackson

The above quote by Wystan Hugh Auden, an English-American poet aptly captures the importance of water to human life and survival.
However, despite the fact that water is one of the basics of all needs, its perennial scarcity is one of the challenges faced in this part of the world. The situation is made worse by the dry season when the ground water level is low and well, which is a major source of water for most households dries up.
In Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, the perennial water scarcity has become a nightmare. Reason being that households that depend on government-supplied water are forced to seek ways of coping with the situation as their water taps remain dry.  At such times, it is common sight to see residents go about with Jerry cans on daily basis in search of potable water. In some areas hapless housewives and children wake up as early as 4am to endure long queue at residential houses where there are borehole facilities, while others engage services of water vendors and risk consumption of unsafe water.
Moreso, a large percentage of the water needs of the state is serviced through boreholes and wells as most residents don’t have access to public water. Most houses are not connected to the public distribution system. Many landlords now spend hundreds of thousands of naira to drill and have clean water from boreholes.
The case is even worse for people living in the indigenous parts of the metropolis where there are no wells and boreholes. Coupled with the attendant consequences of inadequate water supply such water pollution, poor sanitation and water borne diseases.
Water, which is said to be life and has no substitute is a scarce commodity in not just Ilorin but other communities in the state.
It is noteworthy that efforts by successive administrations in the state to put an end to perennial water scarcity in the state, has not yielded the desired result.
It would be recalled that the immediate past Governor of the state, now Senate President Bukola Saraki had started rehabilitation of Ilorin water project with billions of naira, wherein water pipes in the state were replaced. The present administration of Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed increased production  at the Asa Dam water works, Ilorin, from 4mgpd to 25.5mgpd, through its expansion, yet the water demand of residents has  not been met, there is also the ongoing water reticulation projects in Ilorin metropolis  as well as rehabilitation of existing 94 water works across the state. In addition, hundreds of motorised and hand pump boreholes have been drilled across the three senatorial districts.  But all these have defied the water challenge faced by Kwarans.
Despite these huge budget to resolve the water supply problem in the state, the situation has not improved.
However, the recent effort of the state government at ameliorating the hardship faced by people as water scarcity resurfaces in Ilorin, is commendable. The Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed led government had responded swiftly to the situation with its Emergency water scheme which was kick started yesterday; Wednesday 17th, January, 2018. The two- month scheme is said to be a palliative measure to provide water to resident pending completion of ongoing water projects in the state. The scheme is reportedly an expansion of an existing water support service of the state Water Corporation, aimed at covering more parts of the metropolis and its environs. It is strongly believed that problem of water shortage in Ilorin in particular would be resolved once the ongoing water reticulation project is completed. This will be in consonance with the state government avowed commitment towards providing uninterrupted water supply and meeting the domestic and commercial needs of the people. It is therefore incumbent on the state government to ensure speedy completion of the water project.
Also laudable is the effort of the senate president at addressing the water problem in his home state. The facilitation of the expansion of Sobi and Agba-dam waterworks by the Saraki is a right step in this direction. When completed, more Kwarans would no doubt have access to public water. The intervention in water projects by some public office holders in recent time is also applaudable.
The state government cannot afford to let down the people in this area, hence it must ensure that water scarcity becomes a thing of the past and actualise safe water for the state population. It is also pertinent that the projects are done to specification and of quality standard to douse fear in some quarters that the projects have political underpinning as 2019 general election approaches. In the same vein, the palliative scheme of the state government should be all encompassing devoid of political sentiment. For the water scheme to have far reaching effect, it must not be exclusive to the state capital; communities in other parts of the state faced with problem of water shortage should also benefit the water support service intervention.

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