By Abdullahi Lukman
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has initiated an investigation into the recent collapse of the overhead tank at the newly commissioned Gwara Water Station in Khana Local Government Area, Rivers State.
Speaking to journalists in Port Harcourt on Monday, HYPREP’s Legal Adviser and Vice Chairman of the Investigative Committee, Ichibor Gowon, described the incident as unfortunate but assured that the agency would promptly restore potable water to Gwara and neighbouring communities.
Gowon said that upon receiving news of the collapse, HYPREP Project Coordinator, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, set up a high-level committee to determine the immediate and remote causes of the incident.
He noted that 16 other commissioned water projects under HYPREP remain functional, describing the Gwara incident as a “temporary setback.”
The committee has since visited the site and begun a detailed investigation to ascertain whether structural failure or third-party interference caused the collapse.
HYPREP’s Head of Communication, Sorbarikor Wigo, highlighted the agency’s strong safety record of five million man-hours without incidents, emphasizing that HYPREP engages qualified consultants and enforces strict quality assurance measures.
He reaffirmed the agency’s goal of providing potable water to 65 Ogoni communities before the end of the year.
Wigo added that despite the setback, HYPREP continues to record progress in other key initiatives, including mangrove restoration, the Ogoni Specialist Hospital, and the Ogoni Power Project.
HYPREP has appealed for calm in the affected communities, assuring residents that restoration work would commence immediately and that sustainability plans are being reinforced to prevent future occurrences.