The Ebonyi State Government has intensified efforts to tackle persistent water shortages by rehabilitating abandoned water infrastructure and expanding reticulation to commercial centres and public facilities.
The State Commissioner for Water Resources, Victor Chukwu, disclosed this during a press briefing in Abakaliki, saying the administration of Governor Francis Nwifuru had released funds to restore critical water projects that had remained inactive for years.
According to Chukwu, the major project being revived is the Oferekpe Water Scheme, which he said had attracted more than ₦16bn in expenditure as of 2013.
He said the facility had remained unused until the present administration began efforts to restore it, noting that constructing a similar project today would require significantly more resources.
The government has also reactivated the Ezillo and Old Abakaliki water schemes. Chukwu said the Ezillo facility is currently operational and supplying water to parts of Abakaliki.
However, he said ageing infrastructure, rusted pipelines, leakages and vandalism were limiting the full restoration of water supply across the state capital.
At the Old Abakaliki scheme, municipal development has disrupted connections between the low-lift and high-lift systems, while years of equipment cannibalisation have created additional challenges.
Chukwu said engineers working on the Oferekpe scheme were awaiting the dry season to clear an obstruction affecting the flow of raw water into the central reservoir.
He explained that funds had also been released for electromechanical repairs, water treatment materials and structural works.
The commissioner said Nwifuru’s administration chose to rehabilitate existing projects rather than abandon them and build new ones.
“Government is supposed to be a continuum,” Chukwu said, arguing that abandoning functional infrastructure inherited from previous administrations would waste public resources.
Beyond residential areas, the state has begun extending reticulation pipelines to commercial centres, including the Abakaliki International Market.
Chukwu said the government planned to ensure that populated public areas across Ebonyi had access to direct water supply, with further expansion into rural communities expected in the coming months.
He acknowledged that infrastructure deterioration and vandalism remained obstacles but maintained that the state’s renewed investment would improve water availability.
The commissioner urged stakeholders not to politicise the provision of basic utilities, expressing optimism that the ongoing interventions would significantly improve water supply across Ebonyi.
