By Olusegun Samuel Precious
Residents of Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas of Rivers State are set to benefit from potable water supply as the Port Harcourt Water Corporation announces the completion of the first phase of its long-awaited water supply project.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation, Sir Ibibia Walter, disclosed this during a three-day training for media practitioners held at the corporation’s headquarters in Port Harcourt.
Sir Ibibia revealed that the first phase of the facility has the capacity for the production of 148 million litres per day, with 456 kilometres of primary transmission and secondary distribution pipelines. It is expected to serve 1.3 million residents in Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas.
The training,with the theme “Transitioning to a Modern, Customer-Focused Public Water Utility,” was organised to strengthen media understanding and reporting of the corporation’s activities.
Walter said “the journey towards restoring reliable public water supply to the Port Harcourt metropolis had required significant investment, technical expertise, institutional commitment and continuity of government.”
According to him, the project has spanned three successive administrations in Rivers State, demonstrating that strategic infrastructure development can continue beyond political transitions when public interest remains a priority.
He also commended the Project Coordinator, Engineer Kabiru Ahmed Rufai, for his efforts in bringing the project to completion.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State WASH Media Network has been inaugurated to promote public education, constructive accountability, accurate reporting and community engagement on water-related issues.
The network is led by the Head of News Department at Exceed FM, Samuel Olusegun Precious.
Members of the group were conducted around the facilities at the headquarters at Rumuola, Diobu, Moscow Road and Borokiri.
The initiative is also expected to support efforts to encourage residents to protect and preserve public water infrastructure.
The training was coordinated by veteran communication consultant, Christian Chibuzor Maduka, who took participating journalists through various topics on effective reporting of the activities of the Port Harcourt Water Corporation.
The project, funded by the African Development Bank, commenced in 2012 and has continued through three administrations in Rivers State.
