Amaechi Inaugurates $4.5m Aleto-Eleme Water Scheme Project

Governor of Rivers State Chibuike Amaechi today inaugurated a Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) sponsored water scheme project at Aleto-Eleme designed to supply portable drinking water to around 40,000 people in five local communities. SPDC provided around $4.5 million (N720 million) for the project while the state government executed it.

According to news reports, the project is in-line with the recommendation of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) report on the area. The report reveals that oil spills had contaminated both surface and ground water at levels more than 900 times above safety limit set by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Therefore UNEP recommends the local authorities to compel oil MNCs in the region to clean up pollutions caused by years of oil exploration.

Amaechi, however, said SPDC was not responsible for the pollution but still agreed to sponsor the project – an act that fits into the company's Corporate Social Responsibility initiative.

“Companies are collecting our oil, companies are collecting our money, and our people are dying. We need to get water first to Eleme, and then we go to Khana, Tai, Okirika and Oyibo.

“The water scheme will feed about 40,000 Eleme people. I have directed the Commissioner for Water Resources to expand the Eleme water scheme so that it can reach the remaining communities that don’t have, no politics about that," the Governor stated during inauguration.

The Managing Director of SPDC, Mr Mutiu Sunmonu, was represented by Mr Jimmy Ahmed, SPDC Director for Business and Government Relations unit, noted that the project that started in August 2012, was executed through a Public-Private Partnership. That is, SPDC provided the funds and technical expertise, while the state government provided infrastructure, supervision and management.
“Few months after the UNEP report, SPDC began as a stop-gap measure; about 460,000 litres of drinking water was trucked daily to the most affected communities of Ogale, Ebubu and Okirika to prevent further health risks, while a more permanent solution was conceived.

“This is just one of the examples of SPDC taking seriously the UNEP report; so this is one main project we have done with the Rivers state government to attend to some of the results from that report."
The paramount ruler of the area, Chief Samuel Oluka Ejire said he hope the new water scheme would help to reduce mortality rate caused by polluted water, adding that "both SPDC and the government have partly elongated our lives and for which we are happy and excited."