Just four days after its inauguration, the overhead water tank at the Gwara Water Project in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State has collapsed.
The situation has sparked outrage among residents and raised serious questions about project execution under the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).
The facility, inaugurated by the Federal Ministry of Environment alongside HYPREP as part of the ongoing Ogoni clean-up and community support programme, was designed to provide sustainable potable water to the people of Gwara community after decades of environmental pollution and neglect.
Some witnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the structure suddenly gave way, sending the metal frame and tank crashing to the ground.
No fatalities were reported as of press time.
They, however, expressed disappointment and concern over the quality of work delivered by the contractors.
They feared that the collapse might be a sign of deeper infrastructure deficiencies within recently inaugurated projects.
“This was supposed to bring relief to us after so many years of suffering without clean water. Now look at what has happened in less than one week,” a resident lamented, urging authorities to conduct a thorough probe.
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They are calling on the President Bola Tinubu-led government and HYPREP to ensure full accountability, review the standards applied in the project’s construction, and immediately mobilise efforts to rebuild the facility.
They warned that the collapse represented a setback to the long-awaited promise of safe drinking water for Ogoni communities, which had been affected by decades of oil pollution. [SaharaReporters with slightly rejigged headline]
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