The Abia State government has embarked on integrated water, sanitation and hygiene initiatives to boost public health.
The Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Ikechuckwu Monday made this known at Government House Umuahia while speaking on the outcome of this week’s Executive Council Meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti.
He said the initiative was conceived as a coordinated, three-phase program which will see existing boreholes retrofitted with solar-powered systems, particularly in rural areas, to ensure consistent water supply without reliance on the power grid.
Monday, who identified quality water as important to raising public health standards, explained that thorough water facility analysis and treatment would be carried out to ensure safe drinking water for the Abia public, especially those living in the rural areas.
“When we took office, we assessed all the water facilities in the state and found that none of the 58 core water facilities was producing even a litre of water”
The Power and Public Utilities Commissioner further said that measures are being taken to improve sanitation and hygiene across the state, pointing out that the state “aims to achieve zero open defecation and would construct modern solar-powered public sanitation facilities, including washrooms and toilets across the three senatorial zones”.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Okey Kanu said Governor Alex Otti has approved the upgrading of Amachara General Hospital and Abia State Specialist in Umuahia, saying that the upgrading will enable the hospitals to offer an expanded scope of medical services like internal medicine, cardiology, neurology, surgical services, brain and spine surgeries among others.
Also speaking, the new Abia State Commissioner for Health, Professor Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche said the Governor also approved the funds for the hiring of high-calibre specialists across various medical fields to provide the people with the best quality healthcare services.