By Amos Aar
FOR DECADES, residents of Otukpo in Benue State have struggled with a persistent water crisis that has left many households dependent on muddy ponds, shallow wells, and contaminated streams, especially in the wake of the surface coal mining by Dangote Coal Mines Ltd in neighbouring Okpokwu LGA.
The problem, experts say, is rooted not only in failed infrastructure but also in the community’s difficult topography. Otukpo’s soil texture is said to consist largely of hard, rocky ground, which prevents water from accumulating beneath the surface and makes drilling functional boreholes nearly impossible.
This natural challenge is compounded by the long neglect of the Otobi Water Works, once the lifeline of the area, but left moribund for years due to government inaction and mismanagement of funds.
RELATED NEWS: POISONED RIVERS!
The situation has worsened during successive dry seasons, often escalating into a humanitarian crisis for residents who must trek long distances or rely on unsafe water sources.
Acknowledging the severity of the problem, the Benue State Government has initiated steps to revamp the Otobi Water Works, a World Bank project started and commissioned in the 1st Republic, rehabilitated in the 2nd Republic and attempted to be modernised under the Suswam administration but abandoned.
Now, the Ministry of Water Resources, Environment, and Climate Change has been directed to engage China Geo-Engineering Corporation (CGC) to rehabilitate the facility and restore water supply to Otobi, Otukpo, and surrounding communities.
In addition to this long-term measure, a separate water works project is currently ongoing in Otukpo Town. Contracted to Asrem Nigeria Enterprise, the project involves laying pipelines across major streets and settlements such as Ijami Street, Anmota Road, Ojakpama Settlement, Federal Road, Ernest Attah Street, Otukpa Street, Upu Community Secondary School, Otukp’Icho, and Otada up to the Federal University of Health Sciences gate.
RELATED NEWS: POISONED RIVERS: Edumoga Youth Movement Enters the Saga
A regulator chamber on Anmota Road will extend supply to Ohimini LGA, while a sub-regulator on Otukpa Street is designed to distribute water to households.
The project, according to the Benue State Public Procurement Commission (BSPPC), is expected to provide relief for about 90 per cent of Otukpo residents when completed, significantly improving access to clean drinking water and reducing the risk of waterborne diseases.
The Director General of BSPPC, Engr. Dr. Comfort Adadu, on Tuesday carried out a due diligence inspection of the ongoing works, in line with the Commission’s mandate to ensure transparency and accountability in public procurement.
BSPPC’s Communication Officer, Ageda Sylvia Mngohol, noted that the successful delivery of the Otukpo project, alongside the planned rehabilitation of the Otobi Water Works, would mark a turning point in addressing the town’s long-standing water scarcity.
The water scarcity in Otukpo has long attracted public concern. In 2020, for instance, residents raised an outcry when the Otobi Water Works, already in disrepair, became further polluted by Dangote’s mining activities upstream in Okpokwu, reported by National Record on July 31, 2020.
The issue returned to public discourse in March 2025 when the Benue State Executive Council, under Governor Hyacinth Alia, approved the immediate release of ₦1.56 billion to CGC Nigeria Limited for the rehabilitation of the Otobi/Otukpo and Katsina-Ala Water Works.
The Council also mandated the Ministry of Water Resources, Environment, and Climate Change to work closely with the company to restore water supply to Otobi, Otukpo, Katsina-Ala, and their environs (National Record, March 22, 2025).
