It was timely relief and a thing of great joy when the Enugu State Government commissioned the newly constructed Umuabo water scheme project.
Umuabo like most rural communities in Enugu State has been saddled with perennial water shortages and challenges especially during the Dry season leading to the occasion of waterborne diseases.
Recently there has been Yellow Fever outbreak in the area with some fatalities due largely to WASH-related lapses.
The water scheme project was built by Water Aid and funded by Coca Cola foundation at Umuabo in Nsukka local government area of Enugu State.
The Special Assistant to Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on Water Resources, Dubem Onyia, who represented the governor commended the Coca Cola foundation for their decision to intervene in the Water and Sanitation sector which has suffered immensely for ages in Enugu State.
He also expressed his immense gratitude to Water Aid and her partner SSDO for a groundbreaking and life-saving water project for Umuabo community which have suffered water scarcity for ages.
“Water Aid since 2008 has supported Enugu State in the area of water especially in local government areas like Igboeze North, Igboeze South, Udenu, Udi, Igboetiti and Nkanu East. I wish to seize this opportunity to appreciate them and their partner for making this project a reality”, Onyia enthused.
While commissioning and handing over the water scheme project to the Umuabo community, he encouraged them to take proper care of the borehole and ensure a continuous supply of water for its sustainability.
“I also wish to encourage the benefiting community of Umuabo to take proper care of the borehole by ensuring a continuous and sustainable supply of water. We appeal for more synergies of NGO’s, private sectors to help Enugu State achieve its development goal by the year 2030”, the governor’s aide stated.
The Country Director of Water Aid, Evelyn Mere in a chat with newsmen, said that “With water in this community, we have built a foundation for the community to strive. We are going to reduce to the barest minimum water-borne disease, increase time for productive activities, including sales of water. We have built capacity with the women in the community”.
She went on, “We are looking at these as a model. We can replicate these in other local government areas including other States in Nigeria. I am thankful for the community for their willingness to be part of this and the government creating an enabling environment to do what we did, most especially to the donor who made the resources available for us to do this”.
The parish priest St Paul’s Parish Umuabo said that with the water project on ground, it will help reduce some health-related illnesses.
He promised to assist the community in any capacity that the church can to make sure that the project did not fail especially towards the security of the project.
The cleric urged the local WASHCOM to be organised and accountable stressing that “In a project like this, there is nothing that runs it down like unaccountability, fraud-related cases. If there is embezzlement the project will collapse. Anybody that is entrusted with any function in the project should do it with dedication, openness and sincerity. It will make the project sustainable” he said.
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