The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, has stressed the need for urgent completion of the Ilesha Water Supply project to accelerate water supply to the people.
The project was designed to supply water to about 32 villages in the Ilesha area of Osun State.
The Minister was in Ilesha on Wednesday as part of his fact-finding and inspection tour of Federal water supply, dam, and irrigation projects in the South West.
Director, Information and Public Relations of the Ministry, Funmi Imuetinyan, in a statement made available on Thursday said, the visit aimed to assess the current status of the project and identify ways in which both the Federal and Osun State governments can enhance water supply to the area.
Prof. Utsev highlighted the need for immediate action to improve the quality and quantity of water supplied.
He emphasized that recommendations from the Osun State consultant and critical insights into the design of the proposed reservoir and treatment plant will be reviewed.
This includes focusing on environmentally friendly frameworks, cost-efficiency, and high water quality.
Stakeholders, including the Osun State Commissioner for Water Resources, water resources engineers, and experts, will be involved in finding the best solutions to the project’s challenges.
During the inspection, Prof. Utsev noted that the project consultant reported a significant depletion in water quantity from the reservoir .
He urged the Osun State consultant to submit comprehensive recommendations and announced that a meeting would be scheduled to explore the most effective options for ensuring uninterrupted water supply to Ilesha communities.
Engr. Lanre Abioye, the Osun State project consultant, briefed the Minister on the investigation findings.
He noted that the initial capacity of water supply had diminished due to illegal activities upstream.
Abioye recommended desilting the reservoir, constructing a 5 million cubic meter reservoir, and implementing periodic maintenance to improve water distribution and reticulation to the communities.
The visit was attended by Osun State Commissioner for Water Resources, Hon. Sunday Olufemi Oroniyi; senior management staff from the Osun State government; Directors from the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation; and other key stakeholders and experts in water resources.
