From Kehinde Emmanuel, Ilorin
Following the failure of the Kwara State government to render the service to them, the Omu-Aran Development Association in Kwara has dredged the community dam to reduce the menace of water scarcity in the area.
President of the association, Chief Bisi Adeyemi, made this known in an interview with The Dream Daily in Omu-Aran on Wednesday.
According to him, the dredging of the dam is part of the efforts to clear and free the dam, their source of water, of water hyacinth which is impeding the smooth flow of water.
He put the total cost of the dredging and renovation of the over four-decade-old water facility at N5 million.
Adeyemi said the association with the assistance of some youths in the community adopted direct labour for the project so as to reduce cost.
He said the dredging and clearing of the facility was part of the recommendation of the association’s utility committee after an on-the-spot assessment visit to the dam.
Adeyemi, who blamed the low water pumping capacity of the dam on obsolete equipment and lack of proper maintenance, described its present condition as worrisome.
According to him, the association has severally embarked on similar intervention initiative on the dam in the past in order to facilitate regular water supply to the community.
He said the association had written to the Ministry of Water Resources, Ilorin, on the development for necessary assistance.
Adeyemi assured the people of the community that the association would channel resources toward ensuring the menace of water scarcity becomes a thing of the past.
A former President of Omu-Aran Youth Forum, (OYF), Yemi Aransiola, said the youths in the community was ready to partner with stakeholders to end water scarcity in the area.
“Apart from our collaborating efforts with security agencies we will also not relent in finding solution to the perennial water scarcity in the community,” Aransiola, a former councilor representing Omu-Aran Ward 2 said.
Mr Sola Ogunsola, one of the supervisors-in-charge of the water works, commended the association and the youth for their foresight in complementing government toward the revival of the facility.
“The facility presently is pumping water at a very low capacity due to obsolete equipment and inadequate maintenance. But we are optimistic that with the ongoing renovation work embarked upon by the association and the youths water supply to the community will improve accordingly,” he said.
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