Work set to commence on abandoned N3.7bn Ekiti dam

The Ekiti Government and the World Bank on Friday said rehabilitation work on the abandoned N3.7billion Ero Dam would soon commence.

Dr Khairy Al-Jamal, who led the World Bank team on the 3rd Urban National Water Sector Reform Project to the state, said this in Ado-Ekiti after a meeting with Gov. Kayode Fayemi.

He said the water project was expected to help the state address its water challenges as well as curb open defecation.

The World Bank official expressed regrets that the project ought to have started in 2014 shortly before Fayemi left office during his first term.

He stressed the need for a feasibility study which would help the bank to forge ahead with its assistance on the rehabilitation of the treatment plant at the dam.

Al-Jamal said the bank would also be able to assist in supplying transmission pipes to channel the water from Ero Dam through Ifaki Ekiti and Iworoko Ekiti to Ado Ekiti and other communities.

Al-Jamal emphasised that the World Bank was ready to expedite action on the dam to meet the completion date of June 2020.

He congratulated the governor for his re-election, saying that Ekiti people believe that he has the capacity to deliver on his people-oriented programmes.

In his response, Fayemi urged the bank to expedite action on the rehabilitation of the dam.

He gave an assurance that the state government would provide necessary support to the bank to ensure that the 18-month deadline for the project’s completion was met.

The governor, who noted that water was a major concern in the state, said the dam had underperformed in spite of having the capacity to supply water to majority of the citizens.

He said the bank would not only help his administration to achieve its agenda for the water sector but would also help in actualising the Sustainable Development Goals.