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"Omi o lota o, water no get enemy". This was a phrase from the popular Fela Anikulapo Kuti song of the late 1970s.
The song goes to show the importance of water and its use in the daily living of human beings.
This basic commodity is so important to man that the United Nations Organisation (U.N.O.) decided to dedicate a special day solely to commemorate the importance of water to man.
This was how the World Water Day came into existence.
The importance of water to man has taken different dimensions in the last couple of years; water works have been established to make the supply of water a priority to most major towns around the country, sponsored sometimes as a joint venture between the Federal and State and the World Bank.
In the event of the collapse of such projects, governments decided to embark on the alternative of sinking boreholes, all in their bids to make water available to its people.
Some of these projects had broken down, which had led people to sink boreholes privately.
To make matters worse, workers of Osun State Water Corporation are currently on an industrial action in protest of the implementation of the N18,000 minimum wage.
The environmental policy of the state government is commendable and in this regard, the Mr. Rauf Aregbesola-led government in the state should make water provision a must do for the citizenry.
Water is basic and its scarcity can lead to widespread uncontrollable epidemic.
Also, as the state government is planning the turn around maintenance of some water works, especially that of Ede Water Works and the rehabilitation and supply of Ilesa Water Works for Ilesa township, steps should be taken to see that some functional water schemes in the state are not be left to rot away, as it is being experienced in some parts of the country.
The only way to get people to support the many laudable policies, especially the six-point integral action plan of the state government, is to provide the basic necessities for the people and the supply of clean, pure and drinkable water should be uppermost.
•Comfort Adeola, Osogbo, Osun State.
Osun Defender