World Water Day: Residents, NGO Decry Poor Water Supply In Osun

 

Ismaeel Uthman

Residents of the State of Osun have decried what they described as poor water supply in the state, lamenting that they have not been enjoying adequate water provision.

This is just as a Non Governmental Organisation, Urban Alert, scored the state government low in the provision of water supply, saying that the government appeared incapacitated to ensure adequacy in water supply. 

Investigations by OSUN DEFENDER revealed that about 14 local governments, among which are Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore, Osogbo, Olorunda, Ayedaade, Ifelodun, Ejigbo, Odo-Otin, are benefiting from the state’s water supply. 

However, some residents of the benefiting local governments who spoke with OSUN DEFENDER, lamented that there might not be water supply for two weeks and more. 

Speaking on the commemoration of World Water Day on Tuesday, the residents called on the state government to improve on water supply, saying there is a sharp retrogression in water distribution in the state.  

A resident of Inisa, Odo-Otin, Local Government, Mr. Waheed Afolabi, said none of the communities in the local government have received water supply since year 2014. 

According to some residents of Ikirun, headquarters of Ifelodun Local Government, the last time they received water supply was in January this year. 

However, residents of Ede, Ofatedo, Ido-Osun, Osogbo, Sekona said they always receive water supply once or twice in a week or in two weeks sometimes.  

They claimed that the water supply was no longer regular like in the past. 

Commenting on water provision in the state, the Executive Director, Urban Alert, Mr. Anthony Adejuwon said: “It is unfortunate that citizens are left to their fate to get water and this should be one of the key responsibilities of the government – to provide portable and accessible water to the citizen. 

“Unfortunately, that is not the case. It is a fact that many water bodies in Osun State are polluted and highly contaminated through illegal mining activities currently being carried out by over 100 gold miners in the state.

“We have Oora and Osun Rivers that serve over 40 communities within Osun.  Oora river is in Ilesa and it connects with Osun river. Aside from this, even the waterworks owned by the Osun Government, many of them are moribund. Currently, the water dam in Ede is not really working. The equipment there are more or less medieval equipment, very old, they are not really functioning even the one that are functioning, there is no power to pump the water and distribute to the people. The pumps are also rotten and the government seems not ready or incapacitated to change these things. 

“The same thing with Ekoende water dam and many of them which usually provide quality water to millions of residents of Osun state. The people are left to work hard to either drill borehole and well water or rely on high contaminated rivers in the state. 

“It is disheartening and it shows residents of the state are exposed to terrible water borne diseases. Annually in Nigeria, almost 60,000 children died as a result of water related diseases. This shows the risk is high in Osun. People are left on their own to look for water. 

“I advise the government to sit tight. It is not about being flamboyant, it is about doing what is right for the people. People are suffering and the government should rise up now and help the people, provide quality water for the citizen. That will help the health status of the people of the state.

“If there is quality water, the government will spend less on health and even the people will be more productive. The economy will get better. People will not be using the scarce resources to sink boreholes and wells.”

When asked about the adequacy of the government’s budget for water provision in the state, Adejumo said: “When it come to the budget of Osun, the government has not been making the details public. It is very difficult to comment on the budget for water provision, and that shows the level of transparency within the state and that is putting the people of the state in darkness when it comes to budget and what is available for the people.”

Commenting on the pollution of Osun river, he said: “It is so unfortunate that the government elected to protect the lives and property of the people has refused to act on the pollution of Osun river  by remaining silent on something that put the lives of over two million people in jeopardy. It is so unfortunate that the state government has not altered any word in respect to that.

“Don’t forget that in December, an official letter was sent to the governor of Osun, informing him formally on the pollution of the river, there is no response till date.

“The Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development was also informed, but there is no response. Although the NISRAL has done something good by creating a special unit to handle the issue of mining pollution within Osun state which is a good development. 

“But the government of Osun state and the federal government, especially the ministries under which the rivers are being polluted, have remained silent without doing anything till date. It is saddening and that shows the level of seriousness of the government to the plight of the people.”

Speaking on the effort of Governor Oyetola’s administration on water supply, the Commissioner for Water Resources and Energy, Mr. Amidu Tadese, scored the government high on water provision. 

According to Tadese, there have been an improvement in water supply to residents of the state, saying areas where there was no water supply for many years are now enjoying adequate water. 

Tadese in an interview with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday said: “The present administration has performed tremendously well in the area of potable water supply by improving and expanding access to potable water.

“Many areas that had been without water supply for so many years now enjoy adequate water supply.  “There is an ongoing Ilesa water supply and sanitation project, financed through loan obtained from Islamic Development Bank and a grant from the Federal Government of Nigeria. The project is planned to cover about five local government areas of Ijesa land.

“Presently 15 local government areas covered by urban water supply schemes get water supply.”

However, the Commissioner said inadequate power supply has been affecting water distribution in the state.

He advised the people of the state to conserve water and use it wisely.