Moshood Adebayo
Four years after it was abandoned, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has revived the N50billion Adiyan Waterworks Phase 11. When completed, it would supply 70 million gallons of water daily to residents.
The project was started by former governor, Babatunde Fashola, but abandoned by the immediate past governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, for the period he held sway. Sanwo-Olu said his administration would come out with a robust financial model to change some of the obsolete machines installed over two decades ago.
He explained that since access to potable water by the residents remained one of the indices of measuring Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), his administration would give priority attention to the completion of the project.
He expressed delight that the contractor handling the project has also shown enthusiasm to complete the project in the next 18 months: “This is a 70-million per day water treatment plant when fully completed, meaning 330,000 cubic metric tons per day this would be the biggest of its type anywhere in Nigeria. This project was started a couple of years back by my predecessor, Mr Babatunde Fashola.
“But we are here now and we have seen it. The commitment on our side is to see how we can complete this project on time as much as possible on budget. It has been a very long journey. The contractors are committed to see how we complete this project within 18 months. Our government commitment is that we will work with the contractors, their consultants and the Lagos State Water Corporation (LSWC).
“You can imagine if we are able to bring about 70 million gallons of water to the residents in addition to what we already have in Lagos. The production is one stage of it the second stage of it which we quickly want to award is the reticulation.
“That is to take the water to almost every part that we desire; to as far as Lagos Island. Although they have 14 pumps running in Akute, Ogun water intake facility, the state government will build additional pumps for Adiyan Water Plant 11 still under construction.”
Meanwhile, hundreds of buildings on the right of way for the water plant project may give way for the project to be actualised with the state government expressing willingness to pay compensation through the contractor.
Managing Director, LSWC, Mumuni Adekunle Badamosi, told the governor: ‘’We have laid part of the pipes that supposed to be connecting in bringing water from Akute Intake, which is about eight kilometres away from here. But we are unable to complete it because we have issues with the right of way.
‘’All the lands have been encroached; they all belong to the state government and we have been working with the state government. They have reviewed the cost and we have to pay them to get the people who have encroached the land out of there. We have reached an agreement with the previous government.’’