Oferekpe, Nigeria – Residents of the Ebonyi state capital, Abakaliki, who hitherto have lacked water, will be inundated with clean, drinking water when the multi-million Naira Oferekpe Mega Water Scheme comes on stream.
This assurance was given in Friday by the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Jude Okpor, after inspecting work done so far on the project, situated at the Ikwo Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.
Since it was constructed by Chief Martin Elechi’s administration in 2018, the Oferekpe water scheme has not commenced operations.
Current Ebonyi governor, Francis Nwifuru, revived the scheme and the people have been expecting to see it operate at full capacity.
Commissioner Okpor said the Nwifuru-led administration has invested over N200 million to reactivate the water scheme.
“After the scheme was completed in 2018, equipment inside it were vandalised, rendering it not in use.
“The present administration is reactivating the scheme, whose automation were vandalised and looted.
“At its full operational level, our only challenge will be to make sure that the pipelines to the reservoir in Abakaliki is free.”
The Manager of the Water Scheme, Mr Eric Alobu, said that water, currently being pumped into the scheme, comes from the river connected to it.
“The scheme has processed one of the finest water so far.
“The last time the scheme worked was in 2018 when it was completed.
“There was a problem before now as the chemical outline was not working but this present intervention has captured it.”
