By George George Idowu
World Bank has pledged a $700,000 intervention fund to expand water supply and sanitation in Nigeria.
This was disclosed by their representative, Mr. Vinay Vutukuru in Abuja on Thursday during the Water Summit and Exhibition at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre.
While the federal government, through the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation
Prof. Joseph Utsev announced that measures have been put in place to prevent the extinction of Lake Chad.
He said one of the initiatives set to save the Lake Chad is a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Lake Chad Basin Commission and a Chinese company for the proposed Inter Basin Water Transfer Project, which aims to transfer water from the Congo Basin to Lake Chad.
It was disclosed that the Italian government has subsequently committed 1.5 million euros for the feasibility study of this project.
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The Minister highlighted the government’s efforts to increase water inflow to Lake Chad, including the Hawal inter-basin water transfer project.
According to him, this project aims to enhance water supply to the Alau Dam in Maiduguri and will eventually support the revival of the 60,000-hectare South Chad Irrigation Scheme by diverting water from Hawal through canals and tunnels.
Utsev noted ongoing projects under his ministry, such as the Partnership for Expanded Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene (PEWASH) and the Sustainable Urban-Rural Water Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH) programs.
These initiatives aim to improve water access and sanitation in both rural and urban areas.
The Minister expressed gratitude to the World Bank for its support in addressing Nigeria’s water challenges.
He emphasized the importance of the summit, which provided a platform for stakeholders to discuss climate-related water issues and sustainable technological solutions.
