By Oye Chukwujekwu,
Asaba
Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has reiterate government resolve to implement policies aimed at providing safe and sustainable water supply in the state.
The governor stated this in Asaba while flagging off the statewide testing and analysis exercise of water produced through all sources in the state.
Okowa, represented by the Chief of Staff, Government House, Tam Brisibe, revealed that 60 per cent of Deltans depended on borehole as their source of water and expressed worry over the safety of the water.
He said that the practice of citing boreholes close to septic tanks, house, graves and petroleum storage tanks had further compounded issues.
According to him, there had been serious cases of typhoid, diarrhea, cholera, kidney failure, infertility, cancers and neurological disorders.
The governor said that the water testing and analysis would determine the status of the water quality and also provide essential data for water resources management in the state, calling on residents to cooperate with the Ministry of Water Resources Development to ensure the success of the programme.
The Commissioner for Water Resources Development, Sir Fidelis Tilije, said that the programme was in tandem with the Delta State Urban Water Board Law, promulgated in the 2000. He explained that it empowered government to among other duties, license the construction of all water production sources including private boreholes, collect water rates and renew annual licenses for all existing once.
He said that based on water experts recommendation, boreholes should be serviced at least once every year and announced plans by government to subsidize the testing and analysis for residents of the state.
According to Tilije, private borehole owners would pay N5,000 while commercial and industrial operators would be charged N20,000 and filling stations N50,000, saying that the charges would cover a one-year period.
The Chief Executive Officer of Emani Global Network Limited and Principal Consultant of the programme, Mr. Emmanuel Osiegbu, said that Delta was the first among other states in the country to embark on the programme, stating that it would be effective in combating health risks associated with the consumption of unsafe water.
Some participants, Mr. Eddy Ugbome and Mr. Salami Kingsley, commended the programme, saying it was a good gesture by government to subsidize the rate, saying that it would afford them the opportunity to patronize the testing and analysis services.