Investigations by www.calitown.com have revealed that the near absence of public power supply to the Cross River State Water Board Limited, CRSWBL, owing largely to a mountain of debts owed electricity company, PHED, by CRSWBL, is the reason why residents of Calabar metropolis and several other places in Cross River State serviced by CRSWBL, have enjoyed no water supply.
Management of CRSWBL had initially negotiated a debt repayment plan which saw her make monthly payments of N5 million to PHED, from the several millions of naira she owes PHED. However, since October last year, CRSWBL has been unable to make any payments, leaving PHED with only one option, disconnection. “See, we cannot make payments because when these politicians come here to superintend over this place, instead of making it work, they dip their hands in our till and misapply funds”, one source inside CRSWBL told us.
We further discovered that while several litres of treated and ready for distribution water are available, the water cannot be pumped to households because there is no power supply. “You people are not even aware that it is very frustrating for the new Commissioner of Water Resources that he has inherited a mess here. We just wonder how he is going to make this place pump water” the source again said.
When he was contacted, Commissioner for Water Resources, Godwin Ettah, declined comments but however assured us that he was working round the clock to normalize the water situation in Calabar and spoke no further.