‘HYPREP is taking proactive measures to restore water in Gwara community’
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) is taking proactive measures to restore portable drinking water to Gwara and other neighbouring communities. HYPREP remarked in Port Harcourt while speaking with journalists after the news of collapsed water facility in Gwara community on Monday.
HYPREP Legal Adviser and Vice Chairman of Investigative Committee, Ichibor Gowon stated that they were deeply disturbed by the collapse of the overhead tank at the newly-commissioned Gwara Water Station in Khana LGA.
Gowon explained that on hearing the news of the collapsed water tank, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, project coordinator, quickly set up and constituted a high-level committee to immediately visit the site and commence investigation into the immediate and remote cause of the unfortunate incident.
” As you know, we have commissioned 16 water projects and all are in good shape; soonest we will get it done; it is a temporary set back,” he said.
He told journalists that HYPREP would take measures to restore the tank as soon as possible.
Answering questions from journalists, the Vice Chairman of the Committee said that HYPREP would make sure that the people get portable drinking water.
On the cause of the collapsed water project, Gowon further explained that investigation was still on-going and that they did not know the cause yet.
The Head of Communication HYPREP, Sorbarikor Wigo said that HYPREP had recorded 5 million man-hour safety for its workforce since inception, noting that they do not compromise as they get qualified consultants.
“We have quality measures to deliver quality project to Ogoni people,” he said.
“A project that was commissioned on Saturday and collapsed on Monday, this project was supposed to give water to five communities,” he stated.
The Head of Communication maintained that despite the challenge, HYPREP would provide portable drinking water to 65 communities before the end of the year and that from the mangrove restoration, Ogoni Specialist Hospital, and the Ogoni power project among many projects, “we have recorded successes on all our projects as we commend the people of Ogoni and the people too are happy with the Federal Government and the Project Coordinator, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey.”
The committee has visited the site and will be painstaking in its investigation to establish likely structural failure or third-party interference.
“HYPREP empathises with the Gwara community and asks for calm as steps are being taken to ensure that the damaged facility is being restored, and water reticulated to affected communities,” he stated.
“HYPREP remains committed to continue to deliver quality projects that meet best standards. It has introduced both internal and external measures to ensure quality assurance and control. This includes the engagement of a Project Consultant, EcoProject, supervision from the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit and Water Supervisors among others,” he explained.
“But for this isolated case, 16 Water Stations have been commissioned, supplying water to over 40 communities. Some of them have been running for over 2 years,” he stated.
On sustainability, HYPREP said plans were being adopted to ensure the water projects continue to serve communities.
Earlier, Tabe James said that they would carry out proper investigation while sympathising with Gwara community.
He however, stated that there was no compromise on all HYPREP works because they have quality assurance and quality control but assured all that they would reach logical conclusion on the issue.
