Communities in Edo Central have regained access to clean, treated water after years of neglect, as Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration completed the overhaul of the Ugboha Water Scheme.
The project now supplies Ugboha, parts of Uromi and Irrua for the first time since the facility was established.
The Managing Director of the Edo State Urban Water Corporation, Mr. Uyi Ekhosuehi, said the governor ordered a total rehabilitation after decades of decay and the use of substandard pipes by previous contractors.
The revamped scheme now boasts an automated treatment plant, high-pressure pumping systems and durable industrial pipes. Extension works are underway to cover more communities, while plans have begun to revive the Ojirami and Ikpoba River dams to boost supply in Edo North and South.
Ekhosuehi disclosed that urban households will pay a token ₦600 per thousand litres under a metered system, against the ₦35,000 many previously spent on tanker water, while rural dwellers will access water free of charge.
Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mallam Gani Audu, who inspected the project, hailed it as a model of Okpebholo’s promise to restore public utilities.
Residents, including Mr. Endurance Azobor and Mrs. Elizabeth Okosun, expressed relief that clean water now flows at their doorsteps after years of trekking long distances to unsafe rivers.
“Our target is to end the water challenge across Edo within five to six years,” Ekhosuehi said
