N8.3bn for rehabilitation of 78 dams in Kwara

By Demola Akinyemi
Ilorin — The age-long water crisis in Kwara State seems set for a final end before the present administration expires in 2011 as  about 8.3 billion Naira has been earmarked for the  expansion and  rehabilitation of all the existing 78 dams  across the state.

Governor Bukola Saraki, while speaking with newsmen in Ilorin, weekend, said this decision became imperative in order to complement the ongoing widely appreciated efforts of the present administration to make Kwara a world class state in the area of provision of infrastructures and economic development.

He explained that of the amount, about N2 billion is to be expended  on the provisions of “high and low lifts to boost water distribution, especially within Ilorin metropolis and its adjoining settlements.”

He noted that government had earlier spent N928 million on the initial rehabilitation  works on Asa Dam, considered the biggest dam, adding that part of the money,   which is expected to come from the  recent bond agreement between the state and the Stock Exchange market would also be used for re-laying of water pipes within the town.

The governor also said that new pipes would be procured to link the town reservoirs such as Oke-Ose, Oloje and the eastern  part of Ilorin at the outskirts .

The governor recalled that “when this government came on board some  years   ago, there was a precarious situation we inherited, there  was no water any where. The biggest dam we have is Asa dam with a capacity of 12 million gallons of treated water  per  day.

But we met this dam being able to provide only two  million gallons per day.’’,

“This government then had to intervene and the dam  on  interim measure was providing four million gallons per  day. Later the government expanded the dam and had a  capacity of   13.5million gallons per day.”

He explained that , the federal government had  promised  another dam with a capacity of 12million gallons  daily. But  the federal later abandoned the project to the state  after  spending a sum of about N1.2billion on it.

Today with  the   state government’s intervention, the governor said Asa Dam has a   capacity of  N25.5million gallons of water per day.

He maintained that the increased volume  did  not guarantee free flow of pipe borne water into  everybody’s home, due to lack of sufficient pumping  machines and the expansion in the state.

He said the available high and low lift-pumping   stations,   could only pump total of  12million  gallons of water daily.