Sanitation: Enugu council chairmen urged to provide water to communities

Enugu State Government has called on the chairmen of the 17 local government areas of the state to provide drinking water for their communities for hygiene.

Commissioner for Water Resources, Dr. Felix Nnamani, who made the call at the official handing over of a rehabilitated 30,000-litre storage tank motorized borehole at UmuAdogwa, Umuida Community in Igbo-Eze North local government area by the WaterAid Nigeria, said that it is the sole responsibility of council chairmen to provide water for their people.

Nnamani who expressed joy at the beautiful project said that since local government chairmen received direct allocation, they should provide basic amenities to their people without waiting for the state government.

“Boreholes should be the responsibility of the local government chairmen.  Every local government should be able to provide water in the council areas.  They should not wait for the state government since they get their allocation direct from the Federation Account,” he said.

The Commissioner however, said that as a responsive government they have taken inventory of 447 communities “where we have moribund boreholes.”

Handing over the water facility to the community, the Country Director, WaterAid Nigeria, Evelyn Mere, said that they embarked on the project as part of the ongoing efforts to improve water, sanitation and hygiene,WASH, access in Enugu state.

Mere, represented by the Enugu State Programme Lead, Solomon Akpanufot, said also that, ” this project is part of the Stregthening Water and Sanitation Delivery Project, a five-year initiative supported by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

She said that the project is being implemented in Bauchi and Enugu states is  aimed at providing 400,000 people with clean water, 3,000 with safely managed sanitation, and 16,000 with hygiene services across the two states.

On the official handing over of the UmuAdogwa water facility, Mere, who disclosed that  they had carried out similar projects in different communities in Enugu State, said: “today, we added another another milestone to this list with the handing over of a rehabilitated motorized borehole here at UmuAdogwa Ulo.  This facility, with a 30,000-litre storage tank and powered by a 25KVA generator, will provide 5,000 people with access to safe water.”

The County Director urged the community to take proper care of the facility so that it will serve them better.

“This facility is yours.  We urge you to protect and manage it diligently, working with the WCA,WASHCOM, and the Igbo-Eze North LGA WASH Department to ensure it’s long term functionality,” she charges.