L-R: Ekiti State Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mr. Funminiyi Afuye; (2nd right) Governor Kayode Fayemi, and Project Manager, Egbe Dam, Mr. Joseph Adetayo; during an assessment tour of the dam, as part of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, at Gboyin Local Government Area… on Saturday.
Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has said shortage of water supply would soon be completely resolved in the state as his administration will not leave any stone unturned in the bid to ensure that citizens enjoy adequate potable water before 2014.
Speaking at Egbe Dam during the monthly environmental sanitation exercise in Aiyekire Local Government Area, the Governor said the State is blessed with bodies of water but has not made adequate use of its four dams in providing water for the public due to maintenance problems inherited by his administration.
Dr. Fayemi who said that his administration had embarked on provision of palliatives in form of boreholes and rehabilitation of existing facilities which, though has not totally addressed the water situation, disclosed that the Water Provision Master-plan of his administration has been completed and within the next 12 to 18 months, all the dams as well as the water treatment plants across the State would have returned to good shape and ready to serve the people.
He added that the maintenance of the four dams as well as the quality of staff have been a major challenge which necessitated the transformation process through the new Master-plan.
Fayemi said: “I wanted to see what is happening here at the Dam after we have completed the master plan, we have been doing a lot of rehabilitation and palliatives but we have come to the conclusion that that is not enough. Ekiti has enough body of water for our people not to suffer any lack of water but the management of the water, the maintenance of the dams, the quality of the staff have been a major challenge. So we decided that instead of continuing with these palliatives, we need a comprehensive transformation process”.
While speaking on the Master plan, the Governor disclosed that the reports on water and sanitation system in the State as well as a review of Ero Dam have been submitted, even as attention is now being shifted to Egbe Dam, popularly called Little Ose; stressing that a major turn-around maintenance is being carried out at present on Ureje Dam in Ado Ekiti.
With these and other on-going construction of water treatment plants in the State, Fayemi said, the target of his administration to supply water to at least 80% of the communities in the State by 2014 is not far from becoming a reality.
He said that the efforts being put in by his administration on Egbe Dam is already bearing fruits as water supply has got to Omuo Ekiti which has not got a drop of pipe-borne water for about three decades while Isinbode Ekiti and other parts of Aiyekire local government are not left out.
“We are testing water now in Ido Ile, Efon, Erjinyan, Ipole Iloro, Okemesi. Water is now being pumped to Isinbode from here and Omuo has been tested. Omuo has not had water for decades since the 80s water has not come out of the taps in Omuo, now that is beginning to happen. Gradually, we will resolve this matter but much more fundamental issue is our own management of water. We feel that the wastage we suffer can be significantly reduced if we manage our water well”, he added.
Speaking on the relationship between Ekiti and Ondo State in the area of maintenance of Egbe dam, Fayemi said the two states have legitimate rights to supply of water from the dam because they both pay the debt incurred from its construction but however said the two States must contribute to its maintenance since about 60% of water from the dam supplies the Akoko and Owo axis of Ondo State.
On the Governor’s entourage were the Commissioner for Environment, Barrister Paul Omotoso, his Information and Civic Orientation Counterpart, Funminiyi Afuye and the Caretaker Chairman of Aiyekire Local Government, Hon. Niyi Abegunde.
Last modified: November 24, 2021
