The public water taps in Ewohimi town, a community of 25, 000 in Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State, have stopped running over a decade ago, and the residents praying to God for a ‘miracle’ to get the taps running again.
By Eric Ojo, Williams Patrick Praise
Ewohimi, an ancient town with a
population of over 25,000 people, is the largest town in Esan South East
Local Government Area. Geographically, the town lies approximately 60
kilometers West of the River Niger from Asaba and about 200 kilometers South of
the Niger from Lokoja axis.
Interestingly, the community
which is also second to Uromi in population and size amongst the entities that
constitutes the area of the state popularly referred to as Esanland, once had a
functional pipe-borne water scheme that was rated as one of the best in the area in
terms of efficiency, water quality and service delivery to the people.
Meanwhile, residents who were old enough and
privileged to witness the development then, have never stopped relishing the
experience nostalgically. They proudly tell whoever cares to listen about the
‘good old days’ but the reality today is that the people have all along,
suffered the indignities resulting from relying on water from not too hygienic
sources as alternative for their drinking and domestic uses since things fell
apart.
A cross section of the residents
who spoke in an interview, disclosed that the public water supply has been
grounded completely in Ewohimi since 1999 after functioning epileptically for
some time. They however added that successive administrations in the state have
made faint-hearted attempts to rehabilitate it but all to no avail.
Worse still, there is presently
no functional bore hole as an alternative source of water supply in the entire
community. Against this backdrop, majority of the residents resort to drinking
ill-treated sachet water popularly called ‘pure water’ or buy water in jerry
cans and buckets from those who sell from cemented wells in their compounds
while some go through the Herculean hassle of fetching clean water
from pockets of rivers and streams located several miles away.
While bearing her mind on the
development, Mrs. Veronica Udo, a mother of six, lamented that the perennial
scarcity of water in the community was causing additional economic hardship in
most households, adding that an average family now spends between N500 to N1000
weekly on water for drinking and domestic uses. Also speaking in the same vein,
Mr. Henry Itama, a resident who is retiree, observed that what they are going
through in Ewohimi can be likened to the proverbial ‘Paradise lost’ because
quite unlike many communities in Esanland which never had the good fortune of
assessing reliable supply of pipe-borne water, they never witnessed water
problem until the system collapsed due to poor management by the authorities.
Ewohimi, according to him, had
the best well treated water in the 1970s, 1980s as well as the greater part of
1990s, adding that easy and regular assess to potable water inadvertently
brought about healthy and hygienic living standard in the whole community.
“It is very pathetic that we
have retrogressed badly in this town. It is incredible that people now drink
water from sources that are anything but potable. Some of us cannot afford to
even have a good bathe after a hard day’s job in the farm, especially during
dry the season here”, he said.
He also noted that the lack of
potable water is taking its toll on the health of the residents, adding that
water-related diseases have been on the increase lately in the community which,
he said, also suffers from the absence of a well-equipped primary health care
centres.
Lending credence to this, Rev.
Patrick Ulinkhifun, an opinion leader and native of the town, said the
protracted Ewohimi water project saga which has assumed a worrisome and
nauseating dimension, particularly when viewed against the background of its
adverse effect on the wellbeing of the residents, who, according to him, have
been suffering in silence, over the years.
Rev. Ulinkhifun observed that the
indifference and apathy so far displayed by the authorities in charge of the
project, has not only compounded the problem but makes it appear insurmountable
in terms of what it will cost it to revamp it completely when all the
facilities seems to have decayed beyond repair.
“The problem looks mysterious
to me because I cannot comprehend why those who are supposed to fix it are
idling away doing nothing about it. We need a miracle to turn things
around here. God’s intervention seems to be the only way out of this problem”, he added.
He also attributed the problem to
bad leadership at both the local and state levels, adding that there is no
where societal problems can be redressed when those in authority are corrupt,
greedy, selfish, wicked and morally bankrupt.
“The last time we saw sincere
efforts to address the problem was when a prominent politician from Ewohimi,
the late Hon. David Aimenbelomon served as caretaker chairman at the local government
council. He tried to revive it but the water ran in some parts of the town for
a while before it stopped and we lost it again till today”, he further
disclosed.
Corroborating this, Chief Robert
Enoselease, a ranking palace chief, attributed the lingering problem of
resuscitating the water supply in the community to what he described as the
lackadaisical attitude and neglect on the part of government to redress the
situation.
Chief Enoselease, who is the
Ihaza of Ewohimi kingdom, noted that the desired interventions from the
government geared towards solving the problem over the years, have not been too
encouraging in terms genuine and unflinching commitment to fix it and manage
the facilities in a sustainable manner in the interest of the people.
The Ihaza who represents Idumijie
community at the palace of the Enogie of Ewohimi kingdom, His Royal Highness,
Lord Peter Ogiefoh Usifoh II, also stated that residents of the community have
been very desirous, supportive and committed to making it work efficiently and
effectively.
“At a point, residents had to
task themselves through the collection of levies in order to
collectively contribute funds for the purchase of gas to power the pumping
plant here in the Water Board office for a period of about four years just to
keep it running”, he stressed.
In his first four year in office Governor
Adams Oshiomole’s administration made a great effort to fast-track the
rehabilitation of the Ewohimi Iyagun
Water Supply Scheme, Ewohimi man by the name Ojieabu Cletus Friday Okolo was then the commissioner of Water Resources of Edo State. It was
under his watch the project was abandoned. Due to his incompetency and lack of
performance the governor sacked him.
It is high time the people of
Ewohimi/Esanland we should ask the so called prominent people what kind of development
they have brought to our land. Is not enough to be senator or commissioner with
no development to show for the period when in office. Pap Samuel Ogbemudia, Prof.
Ambrose Ali, Adam Oshiomole has something to show while in office. If you are a
leader from Ewohimi or Esan land, what have you done for your people? Talk is
cheap. Let your works speaks for you.
