Gov. Peter Mbah of Enigu State (Middle in blue suit) with members of NEWARI who paid him a visit at the govt. House, Enugu.
Going by Peter Mbah, Enugu State governor’s pronouncement on Monday, the end to water scarcity in Enugu metropolis and other towns in the state, may be in sight.
The Governor who reiterated his administration’s commitment to this end, expressed the hope that the steady availability of water would also end the construction of water storage towers in homes in the state.
Mbah gave the assurance while receiving in audience a civil society organisation, Network of Water Rights Initiative (NEWARI) during a courtesy call at the Government House, Enugu, on Monday.
He said there was no reason in the 21st century the people and residents of the state should not turn on their taps and get clean water, affirming that water would start running in Enugu homes in the next 154 days.
Said the governor: “We think that Enugu should not be one of the states having water challenges because the state has plenty of water sources. There is no reason why in the 21st century, we should not turn on our taps and get clean water.
“We have 154 days left for water to start flowing in our homes. We are mindful of what we say and we know what the problems are because we have done a diagnosis of the problems.
“Besides the Enugu metropolis, we are already liaising with the local government chairmen to see that those in Nsukka, those in other towns and those in the rural areas have their own water schemes from different sources, and can access water in no distant time because we want people to get water from a distance of not more than 5 minutes.
“We are building a resilient system that can supply water everyday of the year and not intermittently. That is why we are not focusing on only the 9th Mile Water Scheme; we are also working on Orji River Water Scheme, we are dealing with other challenges in the downstream sector and we believe that over time, people will no longer need to build water storage towers in their various homes”.
The governor commended the organisation for its interest in sanitation and hygiene, saying that with the provision of water to schools, hospitals and markets, they would have toilet facilities, thereby helping to end open defecation in the state.
Stated Mbah: “We are happy that your organisation as a watchdog will make us achieve everything we want to achieve as it concerns water”.
Speaking earlier, Mr. Temple Oraeki, board chairman of the organisation, said that the Network of Water Rights Initiative (NEWARI), commonly known as WASH Rights Network, was a coalition of 23 civil society organisations in the South-East Nigeria; a task team member organisation of End Water Poverty Coalition, based in the United Kingdom, and a member of the Pan-African Network, Africa Water Justice Network, among others.
He said the NEWARI was to improve access to quality water, sanitation and hygiene services in South-East through the instrumentality of evidence-based advocacy, effective monitoring and accountability mechanism which is essentially tied to achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) number 6, which places emphasis on universal access to water and sanitation.
Said he: “We are very elated to learn of your commitment to make water available to homes of ndi Enugu within your 180 days in office as well as to improve sanitation and hygiene in the state. This is a daunting task but we are optimistic that with the strong political will and capacity, which you have demonstrated with the few days in office, the task is achievable”.
Oraeki offered the organisation’s support to the Governor in his desire to end the perennial water challenges in the state and impact positively on the lives of the people of the state.
