Chairman of the Water Corporation of Oyo State, Hon. Elias Adeojo, has explained efforts being made by the corporation to improve water supply to industries and homes across Ibadan and other parts of the state, noting that the efforts have begun to pay off.
Adeojo, who hailed the Governor ‘Seyi Makinde administration for its commitment to the welfare of residents, said the governor has made funds available for the corporation to purchase equipment and materials that will enable it to address the state’s water supply challenges.
Though he noted that there is still a long way to go in fixing the problem and ensuring that water supply gets to a majority of residents, Adeojo maintained that the corporation has succeeded in getting water to many areas in Ibadan and other city centres such as Eruwa, Oyo and others.
Adeojo, who declared that the corporation has been spot on with regards to quality control and ensuring that only clean water is supplied to the people, tasked residents of the state to reach out to the corporation to report pipe vandalism, water leakage and anything that has to do with Water Corporation.
He noted, however, that the challenges of electricity supply, which is out of the corporation’s control, vandalism of pipes, destruction of pipes due to road constructions and dilapidation of water supply equipment have made it difficult for residents to get the water directly in their homes and areas.
He stated that these challenges are already being addressed, as according to him, the corporation would soon go round Ibadan to fix damaged pipes with a view to getting water directly to the majority of residents.
Adeojo explained that the challenge of poor and erratic electricity supply has been behind the unavailability of water from the corporation, saying that it needs power to pump water to many areas in Ibadan because of its different elevations.
He stated, however, that despite this challenge, the corporation has managed to push water supply to areas like Basorun and Bodija, commending residents of the areas for paying their water dues, while also pleading with those yet to start doing that to kindly comply.
Adeojo said that the corporation has also been able to identify where its supply has reached and would begin to lay new pipes to push the supply farther towards Oketunu, Beere and other areas, as according to him, the availability of booster stations in some of the areas would also help the corporation to achieve its goal once the pipes have been fixed.
He added that other areas in Egbeda and Ona Ara Local Governments, among others, are also being targeted for supply, though the funds needed to address the situation are quite huge and might not be available in one fell swoop.
The chairman equally noted that the corporation has a dam in Eleyele and a 40-million litres capacity reservoir, from which it is meant to supply water to Oke-Bola, Jericho, Mile 110, Ologuneru and Ido, noting that it is making headway in solving the problem in that axis too.
While fielding questions from newsmen, Adeojo also explained that the corporation’s approach to water supply is to ensure that no area is left behind, explaining that the Ikere Gorge Dam, which belongs to the Federal Government through the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Commission, could also be put to use for water supply to Iseyin and its environs.
Adeojo said that as of now, the targets of the water corporation include getting water to homes in line with Governor Makinde’s vision by making sure it fixes the challenges on the ground, putting a sustainable system in place and also ensuring the corporation generates revenue that will contribute to the state’s development.
He added that the corporation is also looking at protecting its equipment and pipes by creating marker posts.
The chairman was accompanied by the Coordinating Director of the Corporation, Mrs. Roaques Sotunwa and the Director, Commercial Services, Mrs. Mabel Adegbenro, among others.
