Daily Independent (Lagos)
Ifeatu Agbu
5 November 2008
If Samuel Taylor Coleridge were to sail through the creeks of Bayelsa today and stop over at Biseni, he would probably have re-worked his epic poem, the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner in which he lamented; "water, water, everywhere but not a drop to drink".
He would have found some good water to drink at that community buried in the womb of the Niger Delta, where the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has found the key to the paradox of communities surrounded by water, yet have no potable water to drink.
A novel water scheme with a production capacity of 27,000 gallons per hour is now fully operational in Biseni, a coastal community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. The turnkey pilot project will also satisfy the thirst of ten other communities within a 20 - kilometer radius distribution network.
Those who are familiar with the environmental challenges in the Niger Delta know that the Biseni Water Scheme is a significant breakthrough. The oil companies that have previously made futile attempts at providing potable water for the oil-producing communities now have a model to follow. The previous efforts were thwarted because the underground water had been polluted as a result of the exploration and exploitation activities or the oil companies.
The surface water treatment technology is tailor-made for oil-producing communities whose underground water are usually polluted. The process entails pumping surface water from a river to a treatment plant that uses non-chemical filtration system, involving tapping ultra-violet light to kill germs and remove the iron content to produce clean potable water.
Experts in this field say it is the way to go in order to bring succour to the people from whose land the oil that sustains the Nigerian federation is being drilled. Expectations are that the new technology would be extended to many other communities as soon as possible. Now there is hope for places like Oliwo, in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State. They will now be looking forward to benefiting from the surface water technology. For them, Biseni keeps hope alive.
The Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Timipre Sylva, who commissioned the Biseni project, said it was a success story which he hopes would be replicated in other communities. "This is a pilot project which has succeeded, and Biseni Community is lucky to be its first beneficiary", the governor said. The pomp and ceremony that attended the commissioning at Biseni demonstrated the importance the people attached to the project, which provides them with the vital liquid of life. Also on hand to witness the historic event were members of the House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta Development, led by their chairman, Hon. Nicholas Mutu.
Governor Sylva praised the NDDC for completing what he called a most valuable project. "This is about the best water project in the state", he said. The governor commended the Biseni community for their peaceful disposition throughout the duration of the project. He charged other communities to emulate them in order to attract development to their areas. The Bayelsa State helmsman gave an assurance that the water scheme would be jealously guarded and maintained to ensure its sustainability in the community.
The NDDC Managing Director, Mr. Timi Alaibe said that Niger Delta communities deserved to have potable water as a right and not as a privilege, noting that "water is a key component in sustainable human development".
If the Bayelsa State government and NDDC officials were happy with the pilot project in Biseni, the community and its leaders were simply overwhelmed with joy. The paramount ruler, Chief Lawson Obireke Ibadaowei said the project marks a new beginning in the modernization of their neglected community. He hailed their liberation from "decades of dependence on the highly polluted Taylor Creek water to an era of scientifically super improved water". The paramount ruler said that the water project would help to arrest the incidents of deaths caused by drinking polluted water.
Over the years, the damage to the environment in the Niger Delta has exposed the people to many health hazards. The rivers from which they drink and earn a living through fishing have been polluted by oil spillage. To make matters worse, the rural dwellers drink from the same water that they defecate and bathe in. This is a sure invitation to a plethora of health problems which only projects like that of Biseni could prevent. After all, prevention is always better than cure.
Redressing the wrongs done to the people of the Niger Delta should begin with the provision of basic amenities such as drinking water. Without potable water, it would be difficult to check the spread of diseases like cholera and dysentery which are prevalent in the region. International agencies which readily budget millions of dollars for the prevention and cure of HIV/AIDS, should show equal enthusiasm in the provision of potable water in the region. Certainly, unwholesome water kill more people than the dreaded pandemic.
The federal and state governments have not done enough to address the problems of water in the Niger Delta. It is against this background that the NDDC stepped up to fill the yawning gap. Since 2001, the commission has undertaken 283 water supply projects. Out of this, over 90 have been completed. Most of them are delivered with standby generators, purpose-built generator houses, and water treatment facilities as well as service quarters.
Now, the commission is focusing on solar-powered water projects to bypass the problem of fuel and generator hiccups. The Ogonis were recently given a feel of the new solar technology, which eliminates the problem of power failure. The people of Sii in Knana Local Government Area of Rivers State were full of gratitude recently when the NDDC commissioned a N39.4 million solar-powered water project for them.
Agbu writes from Port Harcourt.
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2008 Daily Independent. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
It is all a lie. I am a native of Biseni and there is no water. There are equipments for disbursing water but they are not functional. The site for the water project has become a lavatory as excreta litters the whole place. The Clan Head has been collecting money from different people on this project. A lot of Biseni people still die from diseases related to unhygienic water. I just stumbled on this article, it all a big lie. Please we need a lot of help here.