Rivers Water Scheme To Gulp N85bn …Supplies 2.6m Litres To Ogale

Rt Hon Otelemaba Amachree, (right) Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly and Hon Dr Chigbo Eligwe (left) during their condolence visit to the Deputy Speaker, Hon Leyii Kwanee on the death of his sister, recently

The Rivers State Government says the first and second phases of the proposed Port Harcourt Urban Water Scheme will gulp the sum of N85 billion.

The Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development, Ms Patricia Simon-Hart who disclosed this, while addressing a meeting of the chiefs and people of Ogale community in the Eleme Local Government Area of the state, said government had also supplied more than 2.6 million litres of water to Ogale since the release of the United Nations Environmental Programmes (UNEP) report on Ogoniland.

The commissioner said that the gesture was  in response to the UNEP report on the contamination of water in Ogoniland by oil companies.

Ms Hart said that the state government had not only completed feasibility studies on the Port Harcourt urban water scheme, but is working hard to ensure the completion of the first and second phases of the scheme within the life-span of the present administration.

The commissioner said that the Governor, Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi had further directed the ministry to intervene in water delivery to Gokana Local Government Area and Ataba in the Andoni Local Government  Area respectively.

She said that the state government is also in the process of rehabilitating the  existing regional water scheme at Eleme to ensure that the pumping station is running at its optimal capacity.

Plans are also in place to increase the station’s production capacity and reticulate water to surrounding communities in Eleme.

When completed, in the coming weeks, the station will supply potable water to Ogale communities and its environs.

The paramount ruler of Ogale community, HRH Emere Bebe Okpabi said that the community cannot thank the state governor enough for responding to the distress call of his people by supplying them potable drinking water and stressed the need for the siting of water scheme at Ogale.