HYPREP WATER PROJECTS BRIDGING GENDER GAPS IN ACCESS, SAFETY, WATER STEWARDSHIP FOR OGONI WOMEN- PC ZABBEY
On the heels of the commemoration of the 2026 World Water Day, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) says its water projects are bridging the gender gaps in access, safety and water stewardship for women in Ogoni.
Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, Project Coordinator (PC), made this position known in a lecture he delivered today titled: Water for All: Bridging Gender Gaps in Access, Safety, and Water Stewardship in HYPREP Projects, at the Centre for Water and Sanitation Studies (Member, Global Sanitation Graduate School, GSGS), Rivers State University, Port Harcourt.
Prof. Zabbey explains that upon completion of 51 headworks and 14 booster stations, HYPREP will be supplying potable water to 96.2% of Ogoni communities. This, he added, has some attendant benefits for communities and women in particular in terms of reduced exposure to contaminated groundwater, improved health outcomes, reduced time spent fetching water, greater opportunity for women, and increased school attendance for girls, stressing that access to potable water directly improves health, productivity, and educational opportunities.
Highlighting the key progress made in the provision of potable water in Ogoni, the PC stated thus:
-16 water facilities completed across Ogoniland
Supplying Potable Water to 43 communities
-An additional 49 facilities are under construction
-K-Dere Water is 99% Complete
-Total Reticulation network of 1,516.41Km
-Fetching points located less than 200m apart for accessibility, reducing the burden on women.
Furthermore, the PC maintained that, beyond being beneficiaries of the HYPREP water projects, women are water stewards and leaders, which informs the Project’s decision to include them in the water management committees, while acknowledging that they possess valuable knowledge central to water stewardship.
He stated that HYPREP’s improvement of water infrastructure in Ogoni is about safety, dignity, and gender justice, especially as it helps mitigate the risks women face in accessing long-distance water sources, carrying heavy loads that affect their health, and exposure to harassment or violence, as well as limited sanitation facilities.
Moreover, the PC seized the opportunity to highlight other milestone achievements of the Project, further drawing a nexus between them and HYPREP’s efforts to provide potable water in Ogoni. Among them are the Ogoni Power Project, an initiative for sustainable water access; the Medium Risk and Shoreline Remediation projects, which address groundwater and polluted creeks; and the installation of solar power sources at the water facilities. All of these projects, the PC noted, support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals(SDG 6-Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 7- Affordable Energy, SDG 5- Gender Equality, SDG 3- Good Health and Well Being and SDG 13- Climate Action. He added that HYPREP’s projects align with global commitments to equitable development and environmental restoration.
In line with its sustained commitment and innovation, Prof. Zabbey has assured that HYPREP will continue to expand potable water infrastructure in Ogoni, strengthen gender inclusion, build community capacity and promote sustainable water management in the region, calling for actions to bridge gender gaps in water access, and describing it as both a moral obligation and a necessity for development.
A Certificate of Appreciation as ‘Distinguished Lecturer’ was presented to the Project Coordinator by CeWASS.
Earlier, Professor Zabbey had joined other distinguished guests, members of staff and students of CeWASS on a courtesy call on the Vice Chancellor of Rivers State University, Professor Isaac Zeb-Obipi.
