Osun Government Set To Provide Regular, Clean And Drinkable Water To Communities Across The State. - Osun Feedback

Osun state government under the administration of Governor Gboyega Oyetola through the ministry of water and energy resources and in collaboration with Osun State Water Corporation, took their inspection visit to the dams and reservoirs across the state to ascertain their functional levels in ensuring regular supply of water to different communities across the state.

Commissioner for water and energy resources, Dr. Amidu Tadese and his counterpart in the ministry, Engr. Ibitoye Felix Adeniran, during the inspection tour, visited Ede water works, Owalla dam, Ajagunlase and Igege Mini Water Schemes.

The general manager of the state water corporation (OSWC), Engr. Lawrence Ogunsina who conducted the duo of the commissioner and his counterpart from the ministry round the facilities at Ede water works, stated that some of the challenges they are confronted with ranges from power supply, supply and maintenance of equipments, poor supply of water.

They emphasized that the essence of the inspection was to ensure regular supply of safe and clean water to the people of the state. Among the visited places were Young Tajudeen Primary School and Oke-Yidi Akewula, Ede, where hand pump and motorized boreholes were rehabilitated for use. It was also stated that Osun Rural Water Environmental and Sanitation Agency (RUWESA) had undertaken rehabilitation of 20 such boreholes in various communities across the state.

The general manager of OSWC, Engr. Lawrence Ogunsina, during an inspection tour of Dr. Amidu Tadese and Engr. Ibitoye Felix Adeniran to 'Owalla Dam', said the dam has been described as the biggest in the state due to its storage capacity of about 96 million cubic metres of water for use, as well as generating a capacity of 2MW of electricity during the rainy season and less than that during the dry season. He further stressed that the dam has challenges of maintaining the water level as the water must not fall below a certain minimum level. He continued by saying that assistance had been sought from the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry Of Water Resources for the rehabilitation of the dam's superstructure.

At Ajagunlase and Igege Mini Water Schemes in Ola-Oluwa local government and Ola-Oluwa South East LCDA, it was discovered that the pump in the high lift station functioned last long ago as well as generator which was serviced some years back, blocked boreholes, faulty transformer, electricity supply and failure of the embankment has made the storage of water in the reservoirs impossible. The monarchs in the communities, Oba of Ajagunlase, Oba Ismail Gbadamosi Fabunmi and Onigege of Igege, Oba Kazeem Adio Orioye Oyediran ll, stated their readiness to cooperate with state and the local governments to ensure smooth operations of the dams.

The duo of Dr. Amidu Tadese and Engr. Ibitoye Felix stated that the purpose of their visit was to assure the people that the state government is seriously and tirelessly working in restoring the faulty equipments and other necessary things to ensure smooth operations of these dams, government readiness towards provision of clean and drinkable water across the state and to educate the people of the communities on the necessity of paying water rates which will enable the government to provide other services to the good people of the state.