A recently commissioned project built under the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in Ogoni land, Rivers State, has reportedly collapsed, sparking outrage amongst residents and environmental activists in the area.
The multi-million-naira project, located at Gwara, Khana Local Government, was aimed at providing potable water as part of the efforts by the Federal Government for remediation of the Ogoni communities devastated by pollution due to oil exploration.
It was inaugurated last week amid praises from top government officials, including representatives of the Federal Ministry of Environment.
According to reports from Daily Trust, residents of the community said that the water treatment plant developed structural faults shortly after its commissioning, and that led to the collapse of a major section of its reservoir platform.
They said the incident has rendered the facility non-functional, cutting off water supply to hundreds of households that had only just begun to enjoy the service.
Environmental rights groups have since condemned the incident, describing it as another example of corruption and poor accountability in the implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)-recommended clean-up projects.
The Executive Director of the Centre for Oil Pollution and Environmental Response (COPER), Dr. Kaani Zorva, called for an immediate investigation into the incident.
He said: ’This collapse is not just an engineering failure; it is a moral failure. Billions have been spent in the name of the Ogoni people, yet what we see are substandard projects designed to fail.”
The Ogoni clean-up, launched in 2016 and re-energized under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, has faced persistent criticism over alleged mismanagement, delays, and poor quality of work.
With this latest development, Ogoni indigenes are of the opinion that such risks further erode public trust in the government’s sincerity toward environmental justice in the Niger Delta.
HYPREP Project Coordinator, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, has constituted a high level committee to immediately visit the site and commence investigation into the immediate and remote cause of the incident.
HYPREP management in a statement in its official social media platform on Wednesday, said the Committee set up by the Project Coordinator had visited the site.
The statement reads: “The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) is deeply disturbed by the collapse of the overhead tank at the newly commissioned Gwara Water Station in Khana LGA.
“In the interim, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, Project Coordinator has constituted a high level committee to immediately visit the site and commence investigation into the immediate and remote cause of this unfortunate incident.
“Consequently, the Committee has visited the site and will be painstaking in its investigation to establish likely structural failure or third-party interference.
“The Project further empathises with the Gwara community and asks for calm as steps are being taken to ensure that the damaged facility Is being restored, and water reticulated to affected communities.
“HYPREP remains committed to continue to deliver quality projects that meet best standards. It has introduced both internal and external measures to ensure quality assurance and control. This includes the engagement of a Project Consultant, EcoProject, supervision from the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit and Water Supervisors among others.
“But for this isolated case, 16 Water Stations have been commissioned, supplying water to over 40 communities. Some of them have been running for over 2 years.
“More so, robust sustainability plans are being adopted to ensure the water projects continue to serve communities. They are the constitution of the Water Consumers Association (WCA), construction of solar farms for alternative power supply and training of laboratory staff. One of the unique features of the HYPREP Water Project is the laboratory to ensure that water supplied to communities meets the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) standard.”
