As Rivers Gets World Bank’s Water Credit

The World Bank recently released $250
million water credit facility to three
states in Nigeria, namely, Rivers, Bauchi and Ekiti, to boost their efforts at increasing access to potable water supply.
This gesture, no doubt, will improve existing water facilities in these states, particularly Rivers, where successive administrations have done so much to provide potable water to the teeming populace with very little success.
Infact, The Tide expects that the credit facility should actually bring to an end the endemic problem of scarcity of potable water in Rivers State, especially in Port Harcourt, the state capital, where greater percentage of the population depends on private borehole for their water needs.
While we really appreciate the World Bank and all the agencies of government for this lifeline, The Tide believes strongly that what happened to a similar World Bank loan for water that was to source water from the Otamiri River would not re-occur.
The Tide is truly happy for the credit facility as it would change the face of life of the people as the funds, if judiciously utilised would rehabilitate and build more efficient water delivery infrastructure and institutional systems.
We note that water, indeed, is life and the importance of potable water in any environment or society is unquantifiable. On the other hand, the use of impure water can also become the worst vector for water-borne diseases.
The indiscriminate sinking of private boreholes across the state capital has become so worrisome that except the trend was checked, the resultant effect in the future may be disastrous. Thus, the proper utilization of this fund becomes most imperative to checkmate the menace and avert an imminent environmental time-bomb.
Conscious of the present administration’s efforts to provide potable water to residents of Port Harcourt, including the involvement of a South African firm at a time, the window of opportunity provided by the World Bank facility must, therefore, be seen for what it is – a life line for the people.
Although, successive regimes in the state have paid lip service to the provision of potable water to Port Harcourt and indeed, the rural areas, the Amaechi administration took the effort to another level by making the needed study that has produced the water master-plan for the state capital.
Over the years, people have been sourcing water from all manner of places, and of course, how it impacts on the health of the people is best imagined.
Even worse, is the manifestation of the old sailor’s saying: “water, water everywhere, none to drink”, in a place like Rivers State that has water everywhere is not acceptable.
The passion with which the Port Harcourt water master-plan was put in place is commendable and should be vigorously pursued and executed to its fullest in line with the zeal with which it was initiated.
We also expect the state government to leave no stone unturned at implementing the master plan, even if it means sourcing for more funds to augument the World Bank credit facility.
Knowing how critical water is to the life and well-being of any people, government should and must ensure that the provision of potable water is extended to the rural areas where the majority of the people reside.
At last, Rivers people can look forward to the return of the era when public water ran in every house in the city. If properly done, the present government would have been able to provide one of the most basic needs of the people.
Having broken the jinx in other sectors of the economy in the state, we look forward to a world –class delivery of water and a sustainable system that would save the people from water related problems.