By Larry Jones
The Akoko Edo Local Government Council has restated its commitment to carrying out repairs on Ojirami dam to mitigate the water challenges facing the people of Igarra and other communities of the local government area.
Chairman of the Council, Hon Tajudeen Alade Suleman Esq who made the pledge when he paid a visit to assess the facility decried the poor maintenance culture of handlers of the facility. He assured of his readiness to finalize talks with the relevant agencies of government to fast track the process and ensure adequate and clean water supply to the people
Also speaking during the visit , the resident engineer, James Dikoro who was represented by a senior staff of the ministry, Mr Ahmed Umosoh disclosed that the office recently received 12 bags of alum, 6 hydrated lime and a drum of chlorine, stating that the office needed two additional bags of alum to enable them pump enough water that would last a longer period.
He commended the chairman for his prompt intervention which he said had led to the supply of the items from Benin City. Mr Dikoro explained that the facility was configured in such manner that once water was being pumped to Igarra, other substations like Dagbala were locked to allow the water go far, explaining that water cannot be pumped to two stations at the same time to avoid over working the motor machines.
Engineer Dikoro further disclosed that of the four pumping machines in the station, only two were in good working condition. On the impact of the four machines working at the same time, he noted that such process could burst the pipes as a result of too much pressure.
The resident engineer informed the Chairman that the sub stations in Dagbala and Ososo have been vandalized owing to security challenges. He also disclosed that the dam had no battery to power its generator.
