Communities urged to protect water facilities against vandalism

The minister, who made the call during a tour of Ilesha Dam, told the people that they would soon begin to enjoy abundant water supply when the Ilesha Dam is completed. She said the dam would be completed within the next three months. According to her, work on the project which started in 2008, got […]

The minister, who made the call during a tour of Ilesha Dam, told the people that they would soon begin to enjoy abundant water supply when the Ilesha Dam is completed. She said the dam would be completed within the next three months. According to her, work on the project which started in 2008, got halted due to paucity of funds, saying President Jonathan has now directed that the project be revisited and adequate funding provided for its completion. Mrs. Ochekpe expressed her appreciation for the support and partnership that existed between the federal government and Osun State government on the project. She disclosed that when the project was completed, the federal government and Osun would partner to continue with the second and third phases of the project.
She, therefore, pleaded with the people to protect the project against vandalism, adding that the project belonged to the community.
Mrs. Ochekpe also advised the people to utilise the project for other purposes such as recreational activities and tourism, telling them to avoid dumping of refuse in the dam so that it would not be polluted.
The Director, Dam Operations Department in the Ministry, Dr. Emmanuel Adanu highlighted that the dam was constructed to impound water that flows from River Osun.
He explained that it is a Weir dam that could impound about 35 million litres of water and has the capacity to supply water to about 300,000 people all year round.
The contract for the dam’s construction was awarded in 2008 but abandoned due to technical and funding reasons. But the President approved funds in August 2012 for the completion of the project in 18 months.