Lawrence Bajah, Author at Tribune Online

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Water Board has allayed the fear of the residents of the Capital City that the prepared shutdown of operations for five days in order to carry out maintenance work will create acute water scarcity. Speaking in Abuja on Thursday, the acting General Manager of the FCT Water Board, Dr Dame Joy Okoro, reassure residents of the city that the Board will do its best to cushion the effect of water scarcity on the affected areas. According to her, the on-going rehabilitation of water infrastructure is at 83 per cent completion, the remaining 17 per cent is centred mainly on the reconstruction of roof slab of phase 1 Treated Water Tank. The DG said: The roof slab work is scheduled for six months and phase 1 that produces 5,000m3/h will be shut down completely. However, there is Phase 3 and 4 with a combined treatment capacity of 20,000m3/h and it is currently operating at 35 per cent capacity (7,000m3/h). By the time phase 1 is shut down, phase 3 and 4 will augment by producing at 60 per cent capacity. "The present planned shutdown is to create a by-pass to other trunk lines (Kubwa, Abuja International Airport, Abuja University and Gwagwalada Township) so as to lessen the effect of water scarcity for the up coming six months roof slab works. "Hence, the magnitude of the present shut down is for only five days and it is segmented in two stages, stage 1 is planned for two days while stage 2 is for three days. All this is to ease the hardship on the water to the affected areas," the DG assured. Okoro explained that water treatment processes allow some residual chlorine at the Treated Water Tank before supplying to the consumers, that the tank is an enclosed concrete structure that suffers constant attack of chlorine fumes for the past 39-years. She further stated that the roof slabs and support columns have degraded for all these years and was captured for reconstruction under the rehab. The DG said the essence of the rehabilitation is "a proactive measure of preventing the total collapse of the roof slab and the integrity of the tank of which failure to do so will be a catastrophic disaster in the Abuja City water supply," she concluded. The affected areas in the FCT include, Maitama District, Asokoro District, Garki 1 and 2 Districts, Wise 1 and 2 Districts, Military Barracks and Central Area District, Karu/Nyanya, Kubwa Satellite Town, Abuja International Airport, Abuja University as well as Gwagwalada Township. YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE Viral Voice Note On WhatsApp Billing False Claim: A viral WhatsApp voice note, purportedly made by the director and CEO of WhatsApp, claims users will have to start paying for WhatsApp services. Verdict: The viral WhatsApp voice note claim is a hoax. The content is not new and has been circulated as a broadcast message several times in the past. FCT water board allays fears of acute scarcity