Kogi State has been hit by widespread water scarcity after its N10.5 billion water treatment plant was completely submerged and damaged following the the flood that ravaged parts of the state last October.
The state Commissioner for Water Resources, Abdulmumin Danga, who took journalists on a tour of the plant expressed shock about the extent of damages done to the pumping and water treatment machines, all of which were submerged for about three weeks the flood lasted.
The project- which was undertaken during the administration of Governor Ibrahim Idris- includes a purification treatment plant, a high pool TANK A, with a water storage capacity of 10,000 cubic meters, a high pool TANK B, with a water storage capacity of 3,000 cubic meters, a compressor station and over 20-kilometre long of ductile pipe.
During the tour, Danga said that most of the machines have been damaged beyond repairs and needed outright replacement, adding however that the state government has since ordered for replacement of the machines from the original manufacturer and expecting delivery soon.
The commissioner noted that as a palliative measure, the government had done some repairs at the Old Lokoja Water Works for water supply to some parts of the state.
He said that the old water work is currently supplying water to nearby communities of Kabawa, Karaworo, Ipata, Cantonment, Maigari palace and traditional areas of the confluence city and that he has had personal meetings with some leaders, groups and residents, where he appealed to them to be patient, saying it had never been like this since the inception of this government.
“I believe in the next two weeks, the equipment will arrive and it will not take between four to five days to install them, and water will be restored to the metropolis,” Danga said.
He appealed to the residents to be patient with the state government, saying, ”we are doing everything possible to make water available across the confluence city within the shortest possible time.”
Story was adapted from Punch.
