By James Hope
A Non Governmental Organisation, The Ecumenical Water Network -Africa (EWNA) has called for urgent repairs of all abandoned Water Reservoirs across the states to ease access to safe ,potable water.
The Convener of the project, Very Revrend Kolade Fadahunsi championed this advocacy during a stakeholders engagements in Ifaki and Aramoko Ekiti, Ekiti state on weekend.
The organisation also called on the government at all levels to rise to the occasion by priotising the provision of portable, clean and safe water for citizens across the country.
He said The Network believes that the provision of water is a constitutional role that the government must play towards the development of any country and state.
Particularly, he noted that the government must fund and fix the reservoirs across Ekiti state, which will be a channel for water provision to the people in the state.
Earlier, The NGO had engaged and trained journalists in Ekiti state on the importance of availability and accessibility of water, noting that it is one way to make life meaningful for the people of the state.
Speaking in Ifaki- Ekiti, during the Stakeholders engagement, the cleric urged residents to make their requests know to lawmakers in the 10th Assembly both at the National and state levels to priotise the fixing and making the reservoirs functional rather than drilling boreholes which will only serve few people who are in various locality.
He said making the reservoirs functional will ensure more communities are empowered by making portable water assessible to many families and households and save the environment the potential dangers of effect of boreholes drilling across the state.
In a similar effort also in Aramoko Ekiti, Revrend Fadahunsi who led the team, explained that the administration of Governor Abiodun Oyebanji, will definitely give the people water in their homes if they make request to the state government rather than asking government to provide money for them for frivolities and personal gains.
In Aramoko Ekiti the team in company of clergy and members of St Phillips Anglican Church visited the mini water works where three reservoirs that are supposed to supply Aramoko, Erinjiyan and Ikogosi Ekiti are all abandoned.
Speaking at the stakeholders engagement program, community leaders who were in attendance called on the government to promise water supply to households and major communities.
Some of the women in their various remarks said life would be more meaningful for the family when there is good water supply.
They emphasised that maternal and infant mortality arising from water infection will reduce when water supply is constant and available.
The people, however, stated that lawmakers must, as a matter of importance, focus more on water supply policy that will regularly fund the reservoirs to functionality rather than the provision of boreholes which may have adverse effect on the environment in the nearest future.