and environs in Cross River State, reputed to
have the finest potable water in Nigeria, have
been hit by an excruciating water drought,
following the breakdown of the operational
system of the Cross River State Water Board,
CRSWB, despite a subsisting public-private
partnership, PPP, agreement with Ortech
Nigeria Limited.
Even in Anatigha, Calabar South Local
Government Area that used to enjoy 24-hour
water supply from CRSWB, water hardly flow
from their taps anymore. For them, the PPP
is an unmitigated disaster. Inhabitants,
especially at 4 Miles, 8 Miles, Ikot Ansa, part
of Federal Housing, Ikot Ishie, and State
Housing where the governor, Senator Liyel
Imoke, resides, all suffer from this
inefficiency of CRSWB.
At Mount Zion, Atimbo, Chamley, Mbukpa,
Afokang and other parts of Calabar South, the
water comes once in two weeks— when it
does come at all. This has forced many of
CRSWB customers to stop paying bills.
Enter private borehole owners
Following the failure of CRSWB, private
borehole owners, who charge exorbitant
rates, have taken over water supply business
in the state. However, the concern is not just
the supply by private borehole owners, but
the quality of water they supply, knowing that
unclean water is the source of typhoid fever,
cholera and other killer diseases.
Bemoaning the inefficiency of the state water
board, Mr. Asuquo Effanga, a resident at
Yellow Duke, off Mount Zion, told Niger Delta
Voice it was better for him to buy water from
private borehole owners than wait for
CRSTWB for his daily water supply.
He said: “I can count how many times they
have given us water this year. Yet they still
bring high bills for us to pay when we do not
even see the water. “Water is highly
essential. It is not like electricity that you
that you can get from generating set. It is
natural, and it is life. “We prefer to buy water
from these people even though it is more
expensive. I spend up to N1,500 weekly, but
you are rest assured that water is available
for use. But we are appealing to government
to fix whatever the problem is so that people
can have water 24 hours every day.
”I wonder why the whole thing changed
immediately their Chairman left to run for
Senate. It was like the place left with him,
because it was almost immediately he
indicated interest to run that the place
started witnessing great challenges, we no
longer have water.”
Water pipes destroyed by govt contractors
Mrs. Blessing Osor, who stays at Access
Road in Atimbo, told Niger Delta Voice:
“Most times I have had to buy 30 litres of
water for N40 or more. We used to buy fsame
or N5. “They collect N20 when there is
public power supply, but once NEPA
interrupts even if it is for five seconds, they
start selling for N40. “Only few of them sell
for N30, while some good ones still maintain
their normal N20. It is that bad.”
According to her, the residents have
complained several times to water board to
come and rectify the channel problem
because it was cut off during the
construction of the Airport Bye Pass, which
had been commissioned, but nothing was
done about it.
Big challenge
Speaking with Niger Delta Voice, National
President, Association of Table Water
Producers of Nigeria, ATWAP, Mr. Ubina Ubi,
said: “50 percent of producers depend on
CRSWTB; not everyone has the resources to
sink boreholes that will give them the
quantity of water they need on a daily basis
for production. It is a big challenge for us.
“The water that comes from them is also less
expensive in terms of treatment; even though
it needs treatment from us before packaging,
the cost cannot be compared to the one
coming from our own boreholes.”
A top official of the CRSWTB contacted by
Niger Delta Voice directed our reporter to
ORTECH, the firm in charge of the operations
division of Cross River State Water Board.
The PPP arrangement gives ORTECH the
power to carry out the operational functions
for CRSTWB, which means it is the duty of
the firm to ensure that water is running from
the taps.
Our difficulties—Ortech GM
The General Manager, Operations Division,
Mr. James Buchan, told Niger Delta Voice
that company’s major challenge was
electricity, stressing that having to pump
water from their major source with diesel and
to also supply the city in the same manner is
cost intensive. He said: “When people do not
pay their water bills, it is almost impossible
to continue to supply the city water. More
than 40 percent of our customers have been
disconnected from our channel because of
non-payment of bills and it is a huge task to
meet up because of this loss.
Rising production cost
“We, as Ortech Nigeria Limited, in private
partnership with CRSWTB, have done
everything in our power to ensure regular
water supply in Calabar. “Unfortunately, in
the last few months due to very high increase
in critical input like PHCN, which has
increased the cost by more than 77 percent
and the cost of getting water from our major
source having increased by 100 percent, it is
even more difficult for us to run when
customers are not paying their bills.”
Non-payment of debts
Buchan said over the last few months, the
increase in debt by outstanding customers
had led to shortage of cash to run a smooth
operation, saying we cannot just increase
tariff to meet up with operational cost without
the approval of the state government, which
has made a lot of things difficult. He
asserted: “We are doing everything in our
power to regularize this. Our aim over the
last 12 years is to supply potable drinking
water to Cross River State.
“As a company, we will not supply sub-
standard water because we have a reputation
to produce the best potable drinking water in
Nigeria.”
Invested over N2bn
The General Manager further explained that
ORTECH had invested more than N2 billion
and would do everything in its power to
ensure everything works, adding that over
10,000 customers have been disconnected,
translating to 40 percent revenue loss, which
is affecting it. He said: “We have a major
stake in this partnership, we must make sure
that it works because if it does not, we will
definitely lose a lot of money; so we have a
huge stake in this agreement.
Our pipes were damaged
”Some of the complaints you hear from
customers are not totally false. “Due to some
construction work, some of our pipes and
other facilities have been damaged. It is only
when these lines are restored that we can
start supplying such areas.” He urged water
users in the state to pay their bills because
that is the only way they can get 24-hour
water supply. Buchan also cautioned that no
money should be paid to touts and
impostors, but directly
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