Peter Obi’s recent efforts in trying to provide boreholes to some rural communities in the north that has never had access to clean water in decades has seen his opponents deploy their foot soldiers, both online and offline (maybe), to try to downplay the little efforts Obi is making towards bringing succor to this people.

Some have criticized the quality of the project while others have been digging out reports of scarcity of water in areas of southeast and querying why Obi is not extending same energy he is spending in the north towards the southeast water problem as well.

Now, about Enugu…. Anyone who’s not a child will remember that the news of water scarcity in Enugu has become a yearly reoccurring issue/problem which sometimes dominates trend tables on social media. What I’ve come to realize is that a lot of people do not know why there seems to be perennial water scarcity in Enugu which is I’ve decided to educate such people in this piece.

Historically, Enugu city was established as a coal mine settlement. People migrated from different parts of the east to settle in Enugu and work in the coal mine. Now, if there’s a coal mine in Enugu, it means that there’s coal deposits in Enugu. The implication of this is that the Enugu Metropolis is sitting on top of coal. Because of the coal beneath the soil, therefore, it is literally impossible to drill a borehole and get water in nearly all parts of the metropolis.

Even beyond the metropolis, areas like Ozalla in Kanu, Awgu, and even 9th Mile and Udi are not able to get water from drilling a borehole.

This is where the Ezeagu Water Scheme came in. Now, Ezeagu is more than 70 kilometers from Enugu city and has boundary with Anambra. So, because it’s far away from the area where there are coal deposits, it’s more possible to get water from drilling a borehole there. This was why the Eastern Regional Government of the time built a water project there and laid more than 70 kilometers of pipe from Ezeagu to Enugu metropolis and then channeled it to different homes.

The problem however, is that through the military regimes and since the return of democracy in 1999, successive governments left that water project to rot away and residents, over the years, resorted to providing water for themselves where they would to pay Water Tankers to bring water to their homes.

Another source of water is Wells. You are surprised that Well is a source water where borehole does not bring water, right? Well, it is so because Wells are shallower, they do not get to the coal deposits beneath the ground where the water disappears because Coal is not a compact rock. Now, during the dry season, most of these Wells dry up which heightens the problem of water scarcity for those who can’t afford to pay for the services of Water Tankers.

Another problem that the city has also faced as regards water scarcity is that because of government laxity, as the city has been expanding, there has been no provision of water pipes through the new roads that have been built since the days of regional governments. The implication of this is that even if you get water running into Enugu City from the Ezeagu Water Scheme, not every part of Enugu will have water since the pipes that will channel water to their areas has not been laid. So, they would have to fall back to the government and wait for them to make such provision before they can start getting water.

It’s becoming confusing, right? Well, that’s how intricate and complicated the Enugu Water situation is.

Now, what are the solutions?

The first solution is the revitalization of the Ezeagu Water Scheme to ensure it’s working at its optimum level and sending water to the metropolis through the over 70 kilometers distance of pipe. Peter Mbah, the current governor, promised to do that in 180 days of his assumption but that promise has been a mirage nearly one year later.

Secondly, government needs to embark on massive laying of pipes in the new areas that have developed since the last time that pipes were laid in the city. These laying of pipes will now help channel water to the homes not previously captured before.

Thirdly, government should embark on building another water scheme similar to the Ezeagu Water Scheme but at a place closer to the city. I think there’s water in some parts of Nkanu which would definitely be closer to the city than Ezeagu. What this will do is that it will now provide more than one options through which water is coming into the city and will now be channeled to the newly developed areas not captured in the old water scheme.

Now, as a Peter Obi critic, tell me where Obi should have come in here. Obi has never governed Enugu. Neither is laying of several kilometers of pipe to capture several streets of Enugu a thing that can be done by private individual. If he lays pipe through the streets, where is he going to get water to run through them into the homes? And sometimes, laying of these people can cause destruction of property that sometimes result to court cases which is why no private individual embarks on it because only government has the powers to destroy a property (when necessary) for the greater good of the greater number of people.

In a nutshell, the problem of water scarcity in Enugu will require multiple billions of Naira (or even dollars) to solve. It would also require government will power and dedication without which any attempt at solving the problem might be abandoned halfway. This is the reason the water problem seems to have defied solution through successive governments. That not even Sullivan Chime, despite his stellar performance in Enugu, could arrest the water problem.

So, next time, before you criticize Obi for abandoning Enugu in water scarcity while providing boreholes for the north, think again and know that you are being unreasonably and illogically harsh on him because while Enugu water problem is a problem that would require billions to solve, erecting a borehole anywhere in the north only requires you to drill the ground and you get the water running out which is easier and requires lesser funds.

Penguin is a bird of reason!

Nlfpmod
Mynd44
Fergie001

If you suggest that Burna Boy and Davido should use their money to help the poor instead of spending the money on cars and jewelleries, fools will remind you that Burna Boy and Davido are not the government. The fools will say you should not tell a rich man how he should spend his money.

But the same fools act as if Obi is the government. The same fools try to tell Obi how he should spend his money. Double personality disorder.

If Obi provides water in Enugu, his haters will still say he is helping only his own tribe.

Let him do his things without minding the critics.

It seems this region is cursed

In as much as we know he is doing this to score cheap political points, it is a laudable project to provide water to rural settlements.

Btw, this is not just about Obi, this is about Obidients, pressing their necks gives people joy

is abakalike also a coal city

Father mbaka pure water was always being brought in big trucks from enugu so they can have water to drink.
Getting good water to cook was a big problem.
Any food you cook with the well water will get spoilt few hours after..

I don't care whatever obi decide to do with his money but you people hypocrisy stink to heaven.

So Peter OBi isn't asslicking the north??
He isnt pleasing his slave master

Okorocha was abused and insulted by you lots for doing the same thing obi is doing.

Double standard and pure hypocrisy.

If u are campaigning for obi at least be honorable enough to use it as moniker. I follow trump campaign and democrats thats how its done.

Enugu is more of Topographical problem
Lack of abundant ground and surface water in the region

Godoverevery:
is abakalike also a coal city

Father mbaka pure water was always being brought in big trucks from enugu so they can have water to drink.
Getting good water to cook was a big problem.
Any food you cook with the well water will get spoilt few hours after..

I don't care whatever obi decide to do with his money but you people hypocrisy stink to heaven.

So Peter OBi isn't asslicking the north??
He isnt pleasing his slave master

Okorocha was abused and insulted by you lots for doing the same thing obi is doing.

Double standard and pure hypocrisy.

Don’t talk trash. Who told you there’s scarcity of water in Abakaliki?

So because Cway is selling water in Lagos therefore there’s scarcity of water in Lagos?

Do you people even reread what you’ve written sometimes to see if it makes sense before posting it to the public?

dangoteinlaw:
If u are campaigning for obi at least be honorable enough to use it as moniker. I follow trump campaign and democrats thats how its done.

You didn’t make any sense. Did you?

Penguin2:

Don’t talk trash. Who told you there’s scarcity of water in Abakaliki?

So because Cway is selling water in Lagos therefore there’s scarcity of water in Lagos?

Do you people even reread what you’ve written sometimes to see if it makes sense before posting it to the public?

There is no scarcity of water and pure water has to be brought from enugu??

Better charge your brain cos I think is low this morning.

immortalcrown:
If you suggest that Burna Boy and Davido should use their money to help the poor instead of spending the money on cars and jewelleries, fools will remind you that Burna Boy and Davido are not the government. The fools will say you should not tell a rich man how he should spend his money.

But the same fools act as if Obi is the government. The same fools try to tell Obi how he should spend his money. Double personality disorder.

If Obi provides water in Enugu, his haters will still say he is helping only his own tribe.

Let him do his things without minding the critics.

You said it all. Obi brings out the hypocrisy in people. You are criticising someone who is not in government on the quality of project he delivers? Does he owe anyone anything?

Ttalk:
It seems this region is cursed

I don't understand how you guys act as if you don't have it worst in your region.

Half of Ogun state don't have access to ordinary water, they use mud water to cook, wash and bath their babies.

Yes, ASA is the name, a village in Ogun state, what could be worst

Below is a picture from Ogun state

immortalcrown:
If you suggest that Burna Boy and Davido should use their money to help the poor instead of spending the money on cars and jewelleries, fools will remind you that Burna Boy and Davido are not the government. The fools will say you should not tell a rich man how he should spend his money.

But the same fools act as if Obi is the government. The same fools try to tell Obi how he should spend his money. Double personality disorder.

If Obi provides water in Enugu, his haters will still say he is helping only his own tribe.

Let him do his things without minding the critics.

The same fools didn't give Tinubu any excuse and privilege of being out of government and a private citizen 2007-2015.
Some fools even put the blame on their backwardness in Igboland on him,..they even believe he controls the chief of army staff during 2020 endsars protest .

You Igbbbo always think you are smart and talk to your audience like they have memory disorder.

If you don't know,other people see you people as fools claiming wisdom:NIGERIANS WILL TREAT PETER PETHIEF OBI LIKE YOU TREAT OTHER POLITICIANS. YOUR SON OBI IS NOT A SACRED COW!

Basic123:


The same fools didn't give Tinubu any excuse and privilege of being out of government and a private citizen 2007-2015.
Some fools even put the blame on their backwardness in Igboland on him,..they even believe he controls the chief of army staff during 2020 endsars protest .

You Igbbbo always think you are smart and talk to your audience like they have memory disorder.

If you don't know,other people see you people as fools claiming wisdom:NIGERIANS WILL TREAT PETER PETHIEF OBI LIKE YOU TREAT OTHER POLITICIANS. YOUR SON OBI IS NOT A SACRED COW!

Only a fool like you will deviate from the topic as you did here. An individual is donating something that is supposed to be provided by the government. You are criticizing the individual and defending the government.

If you are not the fool, what exactly is Obi's offense in his donation of boreholes?

Penguin2:
Peter Obi’s recent efforts in trying to provide boreholes to some rural communities in the north that has never had access to clean water in decades has seen his opponents deploy their foot soldiers, both online and offline (maybe), to try to downplay the little efforts Obi is making towards bringing succor to this people.

Some have criticized the quality of the project while others have been digging out reports of scarcity of water in areas of southeast and querying why Obi is not extending same energy he is spending in the north towards the southeast water problem as well.

Now, about Enugu…. Anyone who’s not a child will remember that the news of water scarcity in Enugu has become a yearly reoccurring issue/problem which sometimes dominates trend tables on social media. What I’ve come to realize is that a lot of people do not know why there seems to be perennial water scarcity in Enugu which is I’ve decided to educate such people in this piece.

Historically, Enugu city was established as a coal mine settlement. People migrated from different parts of the east to settle in Enugu and work in the coal mine. Now, if there’s a coal mine in Enugu, it means that there’s coal deposits in Enugu. The implication of this is that the Enugu Metropolis is sitting on top of coal. Because of the coal beneath the soil, therefore, it is literally impossible to drill a borehole and get water in nearly all parts of the metropolis.

Even beyond the metropolis, areas like Ozalla in Kanu, Awgu, and even 9th Mile and Udi are not able to get water from drilling a borehole.

This is where the Ezeagu Water Scheme came in. Now, Ezeagu is more than 70 kilometers from Enugu city and has boundary with Anambra. So, because it’s far away from the area where there are coal deposits, it’s more possible to get water from drilling a borehole there. This was why the Eastern Regional Government of the time built a water project there and laid more than 70 kilometers of pipe from Ezeagu to Enugu metropolis and then channeled it to different homes.

The problem however, is that through the military regimes and since the return of democracy in 1999, successive governments left that water project to rot away and residents, over the years, resorted to providing water for themselves where they would to pay Water Tankers to bring water to their homes.

Another source of water is Wells. You are surprised that Well is a source water where borehole does not bring water, right? Well, it is so because Wells are shallower, they do not get to the coal deposits beneath the ground where the water disappears because Coal is not a compact rock. Now, during the dry season, most of these Wells dry up which heightens the problem of water scarcity for those who can’t afford to pay for the services of Water Tankers.

Another problem that the city has also faced as regards water scarcity is that because of government laxity, as the city has been expanding, there has been no provision of water pipes through the new roads that have been built since the days of regional governments. The implication of this is that even if you get water running into Enugu City from the Ezeagu Water Scheme, not every part of Enugu will have water since the pipes that will channel water to their areas has not been laid. So, they would have to fall back to the government and wait for them to make such provision before they can start getting water.

It’s becoming confusing, right? Well, that’s how intricate and complicated the Enugu Water situation is.

Now, what are the solutions?

The first solution is the revitalization of the Ezeagu Water Scheme to ensure it’s working at its optimum level and sending water to the metropolis through the over 70 kilometers distance of pipe. Peter Mbah, the current governor, promised to do that in 180 days of his assumption but that promise has been a mirage nearly one year later.

Secondly, government needs to embark on massive laying of pipes in the new areas that have developed since the last time that pipes were laid in the city. These laying of pipes will now help channel water to the homes not previously captured before.

Thirdly, government should embark on building another water scheme similar to the Ezeagu Water Scheme but at a place closer to the city. I think there’s water in some parts of Nkanu which would definitely be closer to the city than Ezeagu. What this will do is that it will now provide more than one options through which water is coming into the city and will now be channeled to the newly developed areas not captured in the old water scheme.

Now, as a Peter Obi critic, tell me where Obi should have come in here. Obi has never governed Enugu. Neither is laying of several kilometers of pipe to capture several streets of Enugu a thing that can be done by private individual. If he lays pipe through the streets, where is he going to get water to run through them into the homes? And sometimes, laying of these people can cause destruction of property that sometimes result to court cases which is why no private individual embarks on it because only government has the powers to destroy a property (when necessary) for the greater good of the greater number of people.

In a nutshell, the problem of water scarcity in Enugu will require multiple billions of Naira (or even dollars) to solve. It would also require government will power and dedication without which any attempt at solving the problem might be abandoned halfway. This is the reason the water problem seems to have defied solution through successive governments. That not even Sullivan Chime, despite his stellar performance in Enugu, could arrest the water problem.

So, next time, before you criticize Obi for abandoning Enugu in water scarcity while providing boreholes for the north, think again and know that you are being unreasonably and illogically harsh on him because while Enugu water problem is a problem that would require billions to solve, erecting a borehole anywhere in the north only requires you to drill the ground and you get the water running out which is easier and requires lesser funds.

Penguin is a bird of reason!

Nlfpmod
Mynd44
Fergie001

Enugu water scarcity will soon be a thing of the past, Peter MBA is doing something serious about it, those areas that have good pipes before like obiagu are having steady water running now, and the government have built water galleries almost in every street and corners of enugu metropolis, right now they're laying big underground pipes that will be supplying water to this water galleries.

What about Anambra Mr lecturer.

immortalcrown:
Only a fool like you will deviate from the topic as you did here. An individual is donating something that is supposed to be provided by the government. You are criticizing the individual and defending the government.

If you are not the fool, what exactly is Obi's offense in his donation of boreholes?

You are very stupid if you don't know that this is a politics section and analogy can be drawn between too politicians.

If you don't want the name of pethief OBI to be mentioned in a politics section of naialamd he can join SABINUS or RITA DOMINIC in nollywoom

Basic123:

You are very stupid if you don't know that this is a politics section and analogy can be drawn between too politicians.

If you don't want the name of pethief OBI to be mentioned in a politics section of naialamd he can join SABINUS or RITA DOMINIC in nollywoom

Remain the stupid one until you point out what is wrong with Obi's donation of boreholes.

Goldensword:


Enugu water scarcity will soon be a thing of the past, Peter MBA is doing something serious about it, those areas that have good pipes before like obiagu are having steady water running now, and the government have built water galleries almost in every street and corners of enugu metropolis, right now they're laying big underground pipes that will be supplying water to this water galleries.

Water Galleries in the 21st century?

So instead of working on how to take water into people’s homes, Mba is building Water Galleries where people will go to fetch water with their buckets 🪣 and gallons like we are in the 1980s?

Is that how it’s done in London and Paris where Mba takes his family to for vacation?

And you want us to extol him for that? Fia!

Penguin2:

Water Galleries in the 21st century?

So instead of working on how to take water into people’s homes, Mba is building Water Galleries where people will go to fetch water with their buckets 🪣 and gallons like we are in the 1980s?

Is that how it’s done in London and Paris where Mba takes his family to for vacation?

And you want us to extol him for that? Fia!

Individuals that wish to have the water running in their homes can do that, in my place at obiagu the water is running in our compound and it's our landlady that approached the water boards to get the pipe line drawn to our yard, where I stayed with my uncle before at 9th miles, water is also running in our home infact we used shower there, so government mustn't provide everything for us, the water galleries is a very Laudable project my dear, it's far better than using well or waiting for tankers to bring water from 9th miles for us.

The water problem in Enugu metropolis is as stated complex and natural. The Geology of Enugu has water bearing formation at Mamu/Ajali sandstone. That's from 9th Mile up. I think what the government needs to do is employ the use of COMPRESSOR STATIONS along a new water pipeline route from low urbanized areas into the metropolis. Water galleries are good but not suitable for commercial use. I believe those who advice his excellency are here to take notes. The current approach is not just slow but unsustainable. I have one or two ideas to share about it when approached.

Why does Enugu have cheaper and cleaner water than most other states in Nigeria?

Goldensword:


Individuals that wish to have the water running in their homes can do that, in my place at obiagu the water is running in our compound and it's our landlady that approached the water boards to get the pipe line drawn to our yard, where I stayed with my uncle before at 9th miles, water is also running in our home infact we used shower there, so government mustn't provide everything for us, the water galleries is a very Laudable project my dear, it's far better than using well or waiting for tankers to bring water from 9th miles for us.

No, I disagree with you.

Government was supposed to, at least, lay the pipes through the streets while individuals will now take up the responsibility of drawing it into their different homes.

Your landlady was able to get water into your former compound at Obiagu because pipes have been laid through all the streets of Obiagu.

Just imagine there was a water gallery at Council and your landlady had to lay pipe from Council to your street, do you think she would have been able to prosecute the project?

Goldensword:


Individuals that wish to have the water running in their homes can do that, in my place at obiagu the water is running in our compound and it's our landlady that approached the water boards to get the pipe line drawn to our yard, where I stayed with my uncle before at 9th miles, water is also running in our home infact we used shower there, so government mustn't provide everything for us, the water galleries is a very Laudable project my dear, it's far better than using well or waiting for tankers to bring water from 9th miles for us.

Nwokem, that is not necessary.

First, while providing potable water in Enugu is no easy task, it is not rocket science either. It's a matter of priority. And I'm not sure that there's anything the people of the coal city want more today than water in their homes. Clean, drinkable water is not a luxury. It is a necessity.

A 2000-liter water container costs $10,000. A family of 4 will use that up in a few days. My point is, I disagree with your position that individuals should be responsible for the most basic, sustaining element of life. Then what is the responsibility of the government?

The question that should be asked is, what is Peter Mba doing with Enugu money if they are also supposed to take over the role of government?.

Election has consequences. The next one is not far away.