By YANGE IKYAA
The Federal Government, through the federal ministry of water resources, has called for the effective and optimal utilization of water in dam reservoirs for the social-economic development of the nation.
The minister of water resources, Engr. Suleiman Adamu, made this call when he delivered a keynote address at the opening of a workshop on effective utilization of impounded water in dam reservoirs across the country organized by his ministry in Abuja recently.
Adamu said “the purpose of this workshop is to deliberate on the best approach towards optimal utilization of water in dam reservoirs for the social-economic development of the nation, as there is a very positive correlation between effective utilization of available water resources and economic growth of any nation”.
The minister, while highlighting the importance of dams as a critical infrastructure for the sustainability of water resources, lamented the under-utilization of some of the impounded dam reservoirs across the country after construction, saying that this action defeats the purpose for which these dams were built.
According to him, during the 24th Regular meeting of the National Council on Water Resources (NCWR) held in Akure, Ondo State in 2017, the 25th Regular meeting in Abuja in 2018, and 26th Regular meeting in Minna, Niger State in 2019, Council directives were on approval for the state governments and other dam owners as a matter of policy to ensure downstream utilization of impounded water in dam reservoirs for various purposes particularly for social economic development.
The minister noted that the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019 and the associated lockdown, as well as restriction of movement militated against the implementation of council decisions.
He further noted that the ministry has started interfacing with some states like Katsina, Enugu, and Imo, with a view to effectively utilizing the water in Mashi, Sulma, Adada and Inishi dam reservoirs, and that this collaboration is yielding fruitful results.
Adamu further urged the River Basin Development Authorities, being the custodians of most of the Federal Government owned dams and closer to the respective state governments, to engage with the states under their areas of jurisdiction on the effective utilization of impounded water in dams in those states.
The director of dams and reservoirs, Engr. Ali Dalla, said the Federal Government of Nigeria places a high premium on the critical importance of dams in the socio-economic development of the country.
He said that initiatives to address the needs of the people for water supply, food security, and energy will not be successful without the huge investment in the construction of dams and other water infrastructure across the country.
In his remarks, the director of River Basin Operations and Inspectorate, Mr. A.J. Ochigbo, also said, the importance of the workshop cannot be overemphasized, considering the huge investment of the Federal Government in the construction of these critical national assets, which have the potential of boosting the socio-economic life of the country through the provision of water for domestic, agricultural, industrial, hydro-power, flood control, recreational and environmental sustainability use.
The workshop featured presentation of papers from some experts in the dams sector, including Engr Matthew Offie, a retired director in the ministry; and Engr. Abubakar Muazu, the managing director of Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority.
The workshop had in attendance other eminent personalities, majorly professionals with vast experiences in the dams and reservoir operations field.
