BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

PORT HARCOURT-FOLLOWING findings of United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, that ground water in Nsisioken Ogale community, in Eleme Local Government Area had been seriously contaminated with an agent having the capacity to cause cancer in humans, the Rivers State Government has commenced the supply of potable water to the community on a daily basis.

The Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development, Mrs Patricia Hart, who spoke weekend, at Ogale, said she was in the area to see how the emergency water supply intervention project of the government was going on. She said the government had concluded plans to rehabilitate an existing water station at Eleme, a nearby community to take care of the water needs of the community.

Hart assured that when work on the water station was completed, the people would have access to potable water. She said in the interim, government would continue to supply water to the people until the rehabilitation work was completed.

She noted so far, the government had supplied over 2.6 million litres of potable water to the community with a minimum of 100,000 litres daily. She said: “Water tanks are positioned at strategic locations within the community to ensure easy access to the water.”

The traditional ruler of the community, Chief Bebe Okpabi, expressed gratitude to the governor for the quick response to the life threatening situation in the area.