The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Sunday attributed the recent water scarcity in Abuja and its satellite towns to the rehabilitation of two out of four key water treatment plants in the territory.
In a statement released by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike explained that the temporary shutdown of the two plants — Phases 1 and 2 — was necessary for the replacement and reinstallation of critical electro-mechanical components.
As a result, water supply to residents will be rationed over the next two weeks while the remaining two plants — Phases 3 and 4 — continue operations at reduced capacity.
“The FCT Water Board operates four treatment plants of 30,000m³/hour. Due to inefficiencies and reduced capacity, we engaged Messrs SCC Nigeria Limited for a comprehensive rehabilitation. Work is at an advanced stage on Phases 1 and 2, which required total shutdown due to their interconnectivity,” Wike said.
The minister emphasized that the shutdown is partial and not a complete stoppage of water supply, but acknowledged that the functioning plants cannot fully meet the demand across the FCT.
To alleviate hardship during the Eid-el-Kabir celebration, Wike announced that the two plants under repair would be temporarily activated to boost water supply during the festive period.
He urged residents to exercise patience, assuring that the contractors are working round the clock to complete the project ahead of schedule.
“In the meantime, water supply will be rationed. The Water Board has developed a distribution timetable to alternate supply between Lines 1 and 2 of the network. We advise all residents to store sufficient water to meet daily needs during this period,” he added.
Wike reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to long-term service improvements and thanked residents for their cooperation.
