Benue Govt.begin repairs of damaged water facilities to restore supply in Makurdi 

From Attah Ede, Makurdi 

The Benue State Water Board has commenced repair of damaged underground water pipelines across Makurdi metropolitan to restore adequate water supply to the residents.

The General Manager of Water Board, Daniel Okanche disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in his office in Makurdi on Monday.

Okanche maintained that Governor  Hyacinth Alia was passionate about providing portable water for the people and has made necessary resources available to undertake complete repairs of all damaged pipelines to ensure that portable water is available for residents of Makurdi during this Yuletide season. 

He explained that the board has started maintenance work on most of the broken pipelines that leads from Kwararafa, Lobi quarters to Wadata areas . 

“We are already done with that and before this week runs out, we will face the 12 inches line that passes in front of the Central Bank of Nigeria through police headquarters to David Mark bypass and parts of High-level. Hopefully, after the completion of the repairs, water supply would resume fully in those areas.

“But our major problem has been  the dislocations at the Makurdi high-level underpass which has hampers water supply around the areas. We will soon start working on it so that there would be no scarcity of water in  this period. 

“Now that most of the construction works at the underpass has been completed, we are going to swing into action to relocate those water pipelines within that area so that water supply is restored.

“Where the underpass is located is like a hub where pipelines are link to it and branch to other parts of the town like commissioner’s quarter, the state secretariat, modern market road and all those areas. Most of this lines are now inactive due to the underpass”, Okanche maintained.

On the issue of water reticulation, the General  Manager stated that, governor Alia has directed the board to map out areas where water will  be reticulated in the town. 

“We have done a mapping at new GRA and the cost too. We are going to move to another location for mapping while the overhead tank at the modern market junction will also be made functional to make sure water goes inside and supply to residents.

“I want to assure residents of Makurdi that they should expect full and adequate supply of water before January 2026. Even though the work is tidous, but one thing I know is that, this dry season will not be like that of last year. 

“Currently, full supply of water has been restored in Kwararafa, Lobi quarters and Wadata areas of the town and we going to work on the other lines this week”, he said.

He frowned at the activities of vandals, stating that recently a line from water works to the Angwa Jukun area of Makurdi ,which supply water to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital and even North bank was vandalised.

According to him, the line has been repaired and left in the hands of members of the community to safeguard it and to ensure that water board supply water to the affected areas.

Okanche noted that state government is losing huge amount of revenues due to non supply of water to residents, adding that this is the most reason government is working assiduously towards repairing those damage pipes so that the board can start to generate revenue for the state.