The Ebonyi State Government has announced that ongoing repairs at the Azuinyioku Bridge, located along the Enugu/Abakaliki/Ogoja Trans-Saharan highway, have interrupted water distribution across Abakaliki and surrounding areas.
Speaking with journalists in Abakaliki, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Mineral Development and Chairman of the Oferekpe Water Treatment Plant Rehabilitation Project, Prince John Nwangbo, revealed that the New Map Project caused damage to major pipelines during its excavation work near the bridge.
According to Nwangbo, the contractors failed to recognize a critical water line crossing the Azuinyioku Bridge, resulting in a breakage that now hinders efforts to restore the Oferekpe Water Treatment Plant, which had been inactive for over eight years.
He stated that the current administration under Governor Francis Nwifuru is focused on reviving the Oferekpe Water Scheme to improve potable water supply across Ebonyi’s capital and neighboring communities.
“Before this setback, the rehabilitation work had reached an advanced stage, with key installations and water pipelines already laid,” Nwangbo said. “We pumped water from Oferekpe, but it failed to reach the central reservoir due to the pipeline damage caused by the New Map Project.”
Nwangbo stressed that the damaged infrastructure involved heavy-duty 600mm and 800mm steel and ductile pipes. He explained that the repair team has been working on-site for more than two weeks, battling persistent rainfall that repeatedly collapses the trenches.
Despite the challenges, he assured the public that the project will be completed before mid-August.
“We understand how essential water is to daily life, and the governor is fully committed to ensuring every household in Abakaliki has access to clean water. We didn’t foresee this disruption, but we are working hard to fix it,” he added.
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