By Fatima Saka
The Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman H. Adamu, has advised Nigerians to shun quacks, and patronize professionally trained hydrogeologists in the drilling of boreholes.
Adamu disclosed this on Monday, at the Press Briefing held at the NTA Headquarters, Abuja, after the sensitization walk in preparation for the commemoration of 2022 World Water Day, with the theme ‘Groundwater: making the invisible visible’.
The Minister who was represented by the Director General, Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), Engr. Clement Nze, referred to water as the most precious of natural resources with groundwater being the primary source of drinking water for half of the world’s population.
The Minister said the greatest challenge of groundwater in Nigeria is pollution through the activities of men which include petroleum exploitation which leads to leakage of petroleum products into aquifers.
Other challenges according to him include use of agro-chemicals (fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides) in agriculture, over abstraction of groundwater, saline water intrusion, discharge of industrial effluents into bare soil, rivers and streams with little or no treatment, as well as mining and quarrying activities.
To avoid groundwater crisis, Engr. Adamu enjoined the general public, the States and Local Governments to intensify efforts to stop groundwater pollution, shortage of water due to over abstraction and uncoordinated drilling as presently observed in our nation.
He further advised the state governments and other stakeholders to replicate the groundwater monitoring efforts of the Federal Government to boost the existing groundwater monitoring network density, adding that Industries that depend mainly on groundwater as their source of water supply should have an ancillary monitoring well.
In another development, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, at the commissioning of Constructed Water, Sanitation and Hygiene facility at junior Secondary School karon Majigi in the Federal Capital Territory, as part of activities to commemorate the 2022 world water day noted that the Ministry since 2018 had embarked on intervention projects such as Water, Sanitation and Hygiene facilities for Institutions, Internally Displaced Persons in the North East and public places to stop Open Defecation, reduce cholera outbreak and other Water borne diseases in all States of the Federation.
The Permanent Secretary was represented by the Director Special Duties, Ministry of Water resources, Mr. Peter Nwankpa at the event.
In his welcome address, the Chairman, Universal Basic Education Board, Alhaji Alhassan Sule, represented by Hajiya Ramatu Nusa commended the Ministry and said that Open Defecation causes cholera, and the hygiene facility will help to reduce deaths caused by lack of hygiene and Sanitation.
