Pupils of Methodist Primary School, Obot Atan, Obot Akara LGA, refreshing themselves at one of the taps after water was restored to the community.
By Abasifreke Effiong – Uyo
Five communities in Obot Akara local government, Akwa Ibom State have been reconnected to public water supply months after their taps ran dry.
Two water projects in Obot Akara which were used as pilots for the implementation of the European Union, Rural Water and Sanitation Project (WASH) in 2018 packed up early this year throwing five communities that benefited directly from the project into serious hardship.
When the water project in Obot Atan community packed up, ten water cistern toilets at Methodist Primary School, Obot Atan which were constructed under the sanitation component of the WASH project could not be put to use again.
“For several months we could not use the toilets because there was no water and that was not really good for the school environment”, Mrs Anietie Umoren, deputy headteacher of the school said.
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Last week, through one of her community intervention programmes, Prince Archibong Life Foundation repaired the non-functional water facility at Obot Atan and restored water supply to Obot Atan and Ikpe Mbak Eyop communities.
Prince Archibong Life Foundation also gave support for the repairs of a – 18,000 litre solar -powered water project in Ikpe Usung Ita.
The Ikpe Usung Ita water project in Obot Akara local government area was a Rural Water and Sanitation Project implemented under the Niger Delta Support Programme funded by European Union, UNICEF and the Akwa Ibom State government.
A former councillor from Obot Akara, Hon. Saturday Udo disclosed that the mult-million naira water project in Ikpe Usung Ita packed up in November 2019, a month after it was inaugurated.
Udo said the water project was completed in December 2018 but was commissioned in September 2019 by the deputy governor of Akwa Ibom state, Mr. Moses Ekpo.
“After the commissioning, the water stopped flowing in November 2019. Since then we have not had water. When we contacted the company that handled the water and told them to come and check why the water stopped flowing a month after it was commissioned, the company’s representative came, he said the fault was from the pump. He told us that since the project had been handed over to the community, the community must take responsibility.”
Udo expressed gratitude to Prince Archibong Life Foundation for the support given to the community to ensure that the water project is repaired and water supply restored to benefiting communities.
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The Ikpe Usung Ita water project which has six distribution points with six taps each feeds Ntok obio Iko, Edem Akai, Ikot Odiong and Uruk Uso communities.
Residents of the benefiting communities are full of gratitude to Prince Archibong Life Foundation for restoring water supply to their communities.
An indigene of Ikpe Mbak Eyop community, Elizabeth Saviour, said residents of her community have been buying water since March this year when the water scheme at Obot Atan broke down.
“Life was very difficult for some of us because water is life. I can tell you that there are some people in this community who cannot afford a jerrycan of water everyday.”
“I am very grateful to Prince Archibong Life Foundation for repairing this water project because I was lamenting how I will be buying water for my waterleaf farm. I am a waterleaf farmer and my business depends on constant water supply in the dry season that we are approaching. I am very happy about this intervention. May God bless the person that did this”, Elizabeth said.
The management and pupils of Methodist Primary School, Obot Atan said since water was restored to their school, the sanitation and hygiene level of the school environment has notched up and, thanked Prince Mendy Archibong, founder of Prince Archibong Life Foundation for the intervention.
Deputy headteacher, Methodist Primary School, Obot Atan.
The school’s appreciation was conveyed by the deputy headteacher of the school, Mrs Anietie Umoren.
Founder of Prince Archibong Life Foundation, an industrialist, Prince Mendy Archibong, said the intervention was aimed to alleviate the suffering of the benefiting communities and improve their sanitation and hygiene status.
Prince Archibong Life Foundation has done numerous community intervention projects as well as youth and women empowerment programmes in Obot Akara local government area.
