…As community activist seek medical attention for affected persons

By Chinonso Alozie, Owerri

A Professor of Biology, Alex Acholonu, has warned Imo people to avoid contact with Nworie River in Owerri Municipal Local Government of Imo state, that it could be injurious to health, adding, “The river has coliform bacteria.”

Acholonu disclosed this, at Concord hotel in Owerri, during the Imo diaspora lectures and awards organized by Concept masters in the state.

Shortly after he delivered his lecture with the theme: “The role of the diaspora in nation building.”

Vanguard went to him to explain how he discovered the “coliform bacteria” in Nworie river and he briefly said: “when we test water, we test it on three areas the physical, chemical and biological.”

He continued,”The biological shows that the water has coliform bacteria and that is what I showed you in the hall, it means that the water is polluted. So, therefore needs cleanup.”

While expressing regret over the outcome of his findings, he said that the dredging of Nworie river which was started by Governor Ikedi Ohakim, was abandoned by the present administration under Rochas Okorocha.

He added that, if the present administration had continued the dredging of the river it could have saved the present threat on the people.

Meanwhile, a community activist, Clinton Ezeigwe with the Christian Fellowship and Care Foundation, in Imo state, has called on the Imo state government to urgently move into action to provide medical assistance to affected persons, if ascertained that coliform bacteria actually exist in the Nworie river.

According to Ezeigwe,”this is the first time I am getting this information, if this river is said to have coliform bacteria people living there are at great risk.It is obvious that those people living there are not informed.”

“The water is no longer safe for consumption whether is for cooking or bathing. Sometimes, you see children run to the river to take their bath and they may have contacted the bacteria which may lead to so many other water related diseases and it may also take time manifest” He said.

As part of the precautionary steps that ought to be taken to avoid further spread of the bacteria, he said that,”those living around the Nworie river axis should be sensitized on the danger of making use of the water for any domestic activities.”

He added that, the government could also embark on water treatment process to kill the coliform bacteria in the river.