*Pix above: Drying Lake Chad
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Nigerian Government, on Thursday, said it has taken steps to save Lake Chad from extinction.
Honourable Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Professor Joseph Utsev announced this at the Water Summit and Exhibition held at Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.
*Prof Joseph Utsev, HMWR&S
This much was revealed by the Minister, in a statement by his Personal Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Terhemen Oraduen, who said 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 euros from the Italian government towards finalizing the feasibility study on the proposed Inter Basin Water Transfer Project.
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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 the phase two of the project would provide water to resuscitate the 60, 000 Ha South Chad Irrigation Scheme, which had become moribund following continuous drying up of Lake Chad over the years, by diverting some of the water from Hawal to South Chad through canals and tunnels.
He maintained that 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 in addressing the water challenges in the country, described the summit as timely as it has afforded critical stakeholders in the water sector the opportunity to exchange insight on key issues bedeviling the country on climate-related challenges to water resources and sustainable technology solutions.
Representative of the World Bank, Mr Vinay Vutukuruv, who spoke at the event announced over $700, 000 intervention from the bank to expand access to water supply and sanitation in Nigeria./PLEASE SHARE
