Expert raises alarm over possible earthquake in Imo

The Imo State Water and Sewage Corporation Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Emeka Ugoanyanwu has raised an alarm that state would witness an earth tremor if nothing is done to halt further digging of boreholes.

Ugoanyanwu, who spoke during an Urban Media Network quarterly meeting, organised by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Effective Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Services (E-WASH) in Owerri, the state capital, said the impact of the earth tremor would be felt more in the city.

He disclosed that there was an increase in the number of boreholes in the state, particularly in World Bank area of the state alone, there are over 20, 000 houses having boreholes. “This is affecting the earth surface,” he said.

He continued: “The danger is the more bore holes you construct the more you are opening earth surfaces. This alters the stresses and strains on the earth’s crust which can cause earth tremor like the one happening now in Abuja.”

According to him, the impact will be more in Owerri, the state capital, because of constant digging of boreholes. He said to prevent this danger from happening, the state government should take urgent step to restore public water supply in the state.

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He said due to failure of government to sustain public water supply to the people, every individual resorted to digging of borehole in their houses, adding that one good thing is that the current administration of Senator Hooe Uzodinma has shown commitment in providing portable water supply in the state.
Ugoanyanwu, an engineer, regretted that government efforts at building Owerri water scheme in 1983 at the cost of $34million, which is today worth more than N17 billion, could not be sustained due to mismanagement.

He thanked the government for resuscitating the scheme. “People are congratulating us for repeating what we have done since 1983,” he said, disclosing that over N100 million water facilities at the corporation’s water scheme on College Road, Mgbidi, Imo State, have been vandalised.

“Our property at Mgbidi Water Scheme worth over N100 million have been vandalised and stolen, including our new generator,” he said, adding: “some indigenes connived to sell our land before they were stopped them.”