Enugu Gets $50m AFD Grant to Expand Water Supply

Gideon Arinze

The Enugu State Government has received a $50 million grant from the French Development Agency (AFD) to expand water supply in the state.

The Chairman of the board of directors of the state water corporation, Innocent Diyoke, made this known yesterday while addressing journalists on the challenges and successes recorded so far in the water sector in the state.

Diyoke noted that with the fund, the corporation intended to further extend more than 100 kilometres of water pipes to areas in the state that hitherto lacked water supply, thereby tackling the perennial challenges of water scarcity in the state.

“We want to commercialise the sector because residents are willing to pay provided there is water. Our goal is to also become self-sufficient making a much as N100, 000 every month as proceeds from our various water schemes,” he said.

He explained that the state government had awarded a N600 million contract for the emergency rehabilitation of the Ninth Mile Water Scheme to boost water supply in the state.

According to him, “The rehabilitation has resulted in the improvement of water supply from 10,000 cubic meters when we came on board to about 40, 000 cubic meters,” he said, adding that members of the board had gone round Enugu to confirm that some areas that formally lacked water now have water supply.

He, however, noted that the AFD fund would further improve water supply in the state to meet the water needs of the residents which stands at 180,000 cubic meters daily.

“We are already in the process of engaging 100 staff members who will be trained on how to maintain the pipes and rapidly respond when the need arises,” he added.