Defecation polluting Imo water source - Government

Imo State Water Supply and Sewerege Corporation (ISWSC) has raised the alarm over the high rate of human activities and defecation around the source of its water treatment plant at Otammiri River, Owerri.

The Managing Director, Celestine Ugoanyanwu, who made this known yesterday while conducting reporters round the water plant, lamented that the facility, which cost the state government billions of naira to serve the residents, is now surrounded by houses, whose inhabitants are polluting its water source.

He identified the dumping of refuse and chemicals by people living near Otammiri river as the major cause of the pollution.

Ugoanyanwu said the activities of the residents was slowing down the progress achieved by Governor Hope Uzodimma in reviving the treatment plant, which he noted had remained moribund since 2013 before its revival recently.

Urging the governor to evacuate those living near the water plant to curb the damage done by the pollution, the managing director warned against consuming water, especially from boreholes, explaining that “it is the cause of water borne diseases affecting some people.”.

He hailed the modern equipment put in place by the government in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which he said would distribute treated water to 80 per cent of the population of the state soon, including those in the rural areas.

The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Networking, Chantel Adanna, reiterated Governor Uzodimma’s promise to build a dam with the river, to pave the way for its power project.