The Federal Government has said it is taking steps to save Lake Chad from extinction.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, announced this Friday at the Water Summit and Exhibition held at Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.
According to the Minister, some of the steps taken include, the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Lake Chad Basin Commission and a Chinese company on the proposed Inter Basin Water Transfer Project from the Congo Basin into Lake Chad with a commitment of €1.5 million from the Italian government towards finalising the feasibility study on the proposed Inter Basin Water Transfer Project.
The Minister explained that, as part of measures to improve water inflow to the Lake Chad Basin, the Federal Government has initiated and implemented the Hawal inter-basin water transfer with the aim of augmenting raw water supply to Alau Dam in Maiduguri to provide more sustainable sources of water supply to Maiduguri and environs, while phase two of the project would provide water to resuscitate the 60,000-hectare South Chad Irrigation Scheme, which had become moribund following continuous drying up of Lake Chad over the years. This will be done by diverting some of the water from Hawal to South Chad through canals and tunnels.
Utsev said the ministry, under his watch, is currently undertaking some key projects and programmes to increase access to safe and sufficient water to meet the water needs of citizens, which include Partnership for Expanded Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH), Sustainable Urban-Rural Water Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH) aimed at improving water supply in both rural and urban areas, as well as sanitation in public places.
The Minister, who expressed appreciation to the World Bank for its support to address the water challenges in the country, described the summit as timely, saying it has afforded critical stakeholders in the water sector the opportunity to exchange insights on key issues bedeveling the country, including climate-related challenges to water resources.
Representative of World Bank, Mr Vinay Vutukuruv, who spoke at the event, announced over $700 thousand intervention from the bank to expand access to water supply and sanitation in Nigeria.
The Minister later inspected and drove the made in Nigeria electronic car.