MALAM Isa Mohammed, General Manager of Gombe State Water Corporation says the state government spends N1 billion annually on provision of potable water to residents of Gombe metropolis and its environs.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Friday that the amount was being spent on the purchase of chemicals,  as well as maintenance of water treatment plant.

He lamented that in spite of the huge resources being expended, what was being realized from settlement of water bills per annum, was less than N10 million.

According to him, the monthly water tariff is paltry N200, adding that customers still default in payment.

“I am appealing to the public to be law-abiding by settling their water bills to enable us serve them better.

“All over the world, there is no single water utility that can function properly without the support of customers, even if government is handling everything 100 per cent,” he said.

He said when the Gombe water treatment plant was inaugurated in 2006, it was initially designed to discharge about 50,000 cubic litres daily.

He said by 2016, Gombe population had increased following the influx of people from neighboring states as results of insurgency; as such the treatment plant was not expanded to meet the demand of the people.

“We have written a proposal for expansion of the plant to discharge 80,000 cubic litres and we are still awaiting approval from government,” he said. (NAN)

– Apr. 5, 2019 @ 18:35 GMT |