The Akwa Ibom Water Company says it is set to bounce back in the provision of portable water to all residents within Uyo metropolis.
The Managing Director/CEO of Akwa Ibom Water Company Limited, Engr. Edo Bassey Etuk gave the hint while fielding questions from newsmen in his office.
Engr. Etuk said Governor Umo Eno is committed to optimal water supply in line with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) which demands that the government at all levels should provide water that is portable, accessible, adequate and affordable.
His words, “The Ministry of Water resources and sanitation was created to be a stand alone Ministry. That speaks volume of the intention of His. Excellency governor Umo Eno to ensure that we are in sync with partners at the subnational, national and even globally.
“Till tomorrow our Water is adjudged the best. We hear people talk about how they don’t depend on any other source of water except ours. We will bounce back in terms of strengthening our service delivery.
“Akwa Ibom Water Company has the mandate of providing water to semi-urban and Urban areas. And we have 29 Headworks, I mean stations that supply Water. The cumulative capacity, installed capacity of all these stations is about 200,000 cubic metres.
“We have 29 Headworks across 15 local governments of the state. We have places like Eket, Itu, Obio Etoi, State Secretariat, Ewet Housing, Ikot Abasi, ONNA. Unfortunately, the infrastructure in these places have broken down over a long period because these were established since 2001, and decay has set in.
“But we are making efforts to see how we can replace those pipes that have been destroyed in different locations. And then of course the equipment at the stations some of them have to be tinkered with and all of that.
“So for us as a company what we are doing now is to see how we can put those stations back on track first. What people are looking for is good service, but let them be a little patient because changes are going to come very soon.
“We are expecting intervention which will not be too long from now. So we are very hopeful.”
The MD who noted that his agency (Akwa Ibom water company) has been engaging with relevant stakeholders expressed optimism in achieving optimal water supply in the state very soon.
“The fact that we are still trying to see how we can rebuild our broken infrastructure, that also does not mean our product is substandard in terms of the water quality we produce.
“We have had engagement with the Budget Office, governor’s office, our parent ministry, even the Ministry of Economic Development, so the conversations are on. We are relating with other government agencies. In the last few years we have had cause to sit with them to agree on a format to see how we can maintain our infrastructure without destroying them.
“Take for instance, it’s not because we want to do road we lose our pipes, we have had engagement with State Ministry of Works and our parent ministry and various stakeholders (contractors) to see how we can find best way in improving our infrastructure without losing resources anyhow”
“And I am very optimistic that in no time changes will take place. When we get the infrastructure fixed, of which the conversation is ongoing, maybe in the next few weeks, some major things will start taking place because there are plans in the 2025 budget.