The Port Harcourt Water Corporation (PHWC) is expected to begin distributing treated water to residents of Port Harcourt City and Obio-Akpor Local Government Areas today, September 20, after the corporation announced the commencement date on Saturday.
The PHWC Managing Director, Chief Ibibia Walter, gave the date during the inauguration of the Rivers State WASH Media Network on September 19. He said water was already available, while household connections and the installation of customer meters were still ongoing in the two local government areas.
The announcement comes days after the corporation disclosed that the first phase of its water supply project had been completed.The project includes about 456 kilometres of pipelines and has the capacity to produce 148 million litres of water daily for parts of Port Harcourt and Obio-Akpor.
According to Walter, 73,000 water meters have been acquired for the project, but only about 600 households had been metered as of the latest update.He said the corporation would continue connecting households and installing meters as the water supply system is rolled out.
Residents are expected to pay between ₦16 and ₦20 for 20 litres of treated public water under the proposed tariff. Walter said the pricing would help make treated water more accessible while reducing the amount households spend on alternative sources.
Project Coordinator, Kabiru Ahmed-Rufai, also assured residents that the water to be supplied would be clean and safe for consumption. The project is being implemented by the Rivers State Government in partnership with the African Development Bank.
The first phase is expected to serve about 1.3 million people in Port Harcourt City and Obio-Akpor.The water project is part of efforts to restore a functional public water supply system in the Port Harcourt metropolis, where many residents have depended on private boreholes and other sources for their water needs.
For now, September 20 remains the commencement date announced by PHWC. The corporation’s latest statement did not independently confirm that distribution had already reached households as of the time of reporting.
