By Our Reporter
The Lagos State Government has announced its resolve to complete within 18 months the 70 million-gallon Adiyan Water Project which was abandoned by previous administration.
Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu said on Thursday during an inspection of the water works that the contractor handling the project, located in the north-western part of the state, had been mobilized back to site.
He said the project, which was awarded in 2013 by the Babatunde Fashola administration, would be completed within 18 months.
It would be recalled that the Adiyan II waterworks project was initiated by Fashola’s administration to provide safe drinking water to more than five million Lagos residents.
The project had reached about 70 per cent completion when it was abandoned.
Sanwo-Olu said that his administration decided to complete the water project because of its strategic importance to the well-being of the people.
The governor, who described the project as the `biggest of its kind’ in Nigeria, said it would raise the state’s potable water supply capacity.
“With this project, we will be raising the capacity of our potable water supply, the capacity is more than 70 million gallons.
“The commitment on the side of government is to ensure prudence, as well as speedy and quality completion,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu further said that the contractor had assured that the project would be delivered within 18 months.
“As a government, we will work with the contractor and the project consultant to deliver this project within the agreed time frame.
“Completing this project means that we have achieved one of the key items of the Sustainable Development Goals, which is also a strategic pillar of our development agenda.
“Provision of safe drinking water to no fewer than five million citizens of Lagos is part of our government’s development agenda,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu also said the state government would soon award contract for the commencement of the second and third phases of the water project.
He said that the second and third phases were reticulation works and construction of eight-kilometre water intake conduits from Akute to Adiyan.
Sanwo-Olu said that issues such as compensations and rights of way would be addressed to allow the contractor finish the project on record time.
“Parts of the construction work were suspended because of issues of rights of way with the residents and Ogun State, we are also going to handle all these.
“We will pay all the compensations to ensure that they can lay the pipes,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu also inspected the Lagos State Water Corporation infrastructure in Iju-Akute axis.
The governor used the visit to assess the possibility of rejigging operations and enhancing the productivity of the state-owned water facilities.
Sanwo-Olu, who expressed worry over the state of the facilities, said the government would seek private sector funding to revamp the infrastructure.
‘“We need to raise money, get new investment to improve the output of these important facilities.
”On the power plant, we also need to scale up and get another one ready for Adiyan II water works, which will be ready in 18 months.
“So it’s a total eco-chain we are looking at: We have to start the planning from now to ensure that the new water works will have electricity to make it function effectively,” he said.
The Adiyan II water works is sited on 210 hectares of land in a borderline community between Lagos and Ogun States.(NAN)
