Residents of Gwara community in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State have expressed outrage after a newly commissioned water project collapsed just four days after its inauguration.
The overhead water tank, part of the Gwara Water Project executed under the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), reportedly came crashing down on Monday, raising serious concerns about the quality of execution and oversight in government-funded projects.
The facility, commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Environment in partnership with HYPREP, was part of the ongoing Ogoni clean-up and community support programme designed to provide clean and sustainable water to residents who have suffered decades of environmental pollution.
Eyewitnesses said the structure suddenly gave way, sending the metal frame and tank tumbling to the ground. Fortunately, no casualties were recorded.
“This was supposed to bring relief to us after so many years of suffering without clean water. Now look at what has happened in less than one week,” one resident lamented.
Angry residents have since called on the President Bola Tinubu-led administration and HYPREP to launch an investigation, hold contractors accountable, and ensure the facility is rebuilt to proper standards.
They warned that the incident represents a major setback in the long-awaited effort to restore safe drinking water to Ogoni communities devastated by years of oil pollution and neglect.