Abridged Report

Based on the assessment of the water treatment facility we have in the estate, we wish to reiterate
that more than 75% of the setbacks are as a result of inadequate power supply. Unless we have
stable and steady power supply, the operation of the water treatment plant will not be able to meet
our daily potable water demand.

As regards water demand, it increases as the population grows. There is a specific volume of
water the plant can handle efficiently and optimally. Any attempt to increase the volume without
modifying the infrastructure will compromise the quality (and safety) of the water. The demand is
increased temporarily as more people install storage tanks (which we cannot help). We need
more treatment plants or we increase the capacity of the existing one(s)

The overhead tank which feeds us has a fixed volume. When there is no water supply for
a period of time and people’s storage deplete, the tendency that once water is pumped into
the overhead tank, a lot of people draw from the supply line at the same time thereby
lowering the supply pressure and the overhead tank level. This has been made worse by
the pressure pumps people are installing. This prevents water reaching all residents
especially those far from the supply source. As people’s storage gets filled up and they
start closing back, pressure builds up. However, continuous\additional pumping into the
overhead tank will boost the pressure (assuming another batch has been treated).

On the issue of capacity, there is another treatment plant being constructed at the end of Road
10. At the moment, the capacity is unknown but from a visual assessment of the facility, it is more
than two times the capacity of the existing water plant (confirmed by the contractor handling the
existing plant).

The third issue is on the water treatment process. at the moment, the current treatment process
is basic and almost adequate for normal domestic use (not good enough for drinking please).
Chemicals are used for the treatment (Chlorine, Alum and Soda Ash). A good plant operator will
be able to manage the existing process. Remember, the essence of the treatment is to protect us
from water borne diseases while getting the aesthetic values (clear, clean, odorless and the one
that doesn’t discolor our clothes, sanitary wares, etc.).

Things to note

Water treatment process is usually as low one depending on the volume and design of treatment
plant. Any attempt to “rush am” especially as a result of demand will compromise the quality to
say the least.

At the moment, the system was not designed to accommodate any form of recycle. So, whatever
that enters the overhead tank will be discharged. There is little or no quality check. No analysis
done (at least, have not seen any report).

Water treatment is expensive. You will have to pay for the infrastructure, chemicals and operation
(consisting of power, routine maintenance and personnel cost). Cost of water treatment vary
slightly but usually the same. The start up cost will vary depending on the plant design, initial
quality of the pre-treated water, level of surveillance/monitoring and infrastructure including level
of automation.

Way forward

Based on our peculiar situation, there is a need for us to consider the following as ways to reduce
the inadequacies in the water supply (short/medium and long term);

1. We have to pay for the water we use. And we mean everyone has to pay (short term)
2. We need to provide stable and near-steady power supply (short/medium term)
3. We need to control water consumption. This brings some form of responsibility to
the consumer. Water is not a free resource. There should be a way to isolate
consumers who did not pay and there should be a way for people to pay for what
they use (short/medium term)
4. We need to align our cost to volume of water treated. This way any contractor we
engage will have some sense of responsibility and targets to meet (medium/long
term)
5. We need to start planning and budgeting for upgrades and finishing up the new
plant. (medium long term)

In conclusion, as mentioned our short-term goal to solve the domestic water supply challenges is
to provide stable and near-steady power supply (it takes a little more than 4-6 hours to treat and
pump a batch). Again, steady power supply can improve output ensuring that people get water
more frequently. Our Long-term plan to carter for population increase, construction activities etc.
is to get the new water treatment plant running and possibly build more tanks for the least if we
are not ready to run a force-feed system due to the size of the estate. For now, these are the stuff
we could come with in this short period. As time goes on, we will be updating us on new
developments or things that were missed out.

I started my career as a Quality Control Technician in Consolidated Breweries Ijebu Ode in

2008 where I was responsible for the Testing and Certification of final product. As a result of my
performance on the finished product line, I was transferred to the Raw Materials Department to
oversee the unit and ensure materials received for the facility are in conformance to the set
standards.
I started in Standards Organization of Nigeria as a Food Safety Officer in October 2009. Over
the years I have worked as a Factory Inspector and Quality Control Officer. I also worked as
Standards Officer saddled with the responsibility of developing new standards for products as
well as reviewing existing standards. I am also a certified Factory Auditor

Evaluate overall plant performance by comparing treated quality to

raw quality
Parameter Standard/Limit Raw Final %Reduction
Total Iron (Fe) Mg/L (<0.2) 6.7 0.305 95.45
Turbidity NTU 10 0.467 95.33

Indicate which Parameters will be used to evaluate which process unit

Process Unit Parameter used in evaluation
Contact Basin Iron and Turbidity
Filtered Water Basin/Sand filter Iron and Turbidity

Evaluation of Individual Process Units

Settler Basin May April
Parameter Before After %Reduction Before After %Reduction
Total Iron 6.4 4.3 32.8% 5.7 4.2 26.3%
Turbidity 9.8 7.4 24.5% 8.8 6.5 26.1%

Filtered Water May April

Basin/Sand filter
Parameter Before After %Reduction Before After %Reduction
Total Iron 4.0 0.36 91% 4.7 0.29 93.8%
Turbidity 5.9 0.9 84.7% 5.1 1.1 78.4%