Following the gradual release of water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, has directed the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) to keep vigil on the water levels of the major rivers and other inland rivers across the nation.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, gave the directive on Monday in Abuja, while briefing newsmen on the activities to mark this year’s World River Day, with the theme “the Incredible Natural, Cultural, and Re-creational Values of Rivers and Streams in Our Communities.”
Prof. Utsev equally directed the twelve (12) River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs) to monitor all the dams and report any occurrence that stands to threaten the safety of lives and properties within their respective locations.
He said, already, the state governments along the banks of the River Benue—Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, and others have been advised to remain vigilant and implement preparedness measures to enhance sensitisation of flood mitigation, clearing of blocked drainage channels, and relocation of people living along flood-prone areas to safer grounds.
Speaking on the significance of the day, the Minister noted that “rivers play a significant role in the water cycle, especially in the formation of rain; it enhances the economic survival of any nation and serves as habitat for aquatic plants and animals.”
He directed that the celebration be done in a low key, in respect of those who lost their lives to the recent devastating floods in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
He emphasised the need for critical stakeholders to perceive rivers as “living entities, entitled to fundamental rights, legal guardians, and personhood,” noting that the ministry is willing to extend and implement these rights for the wellbeing of the watershed river basin states.
According to him, the nation’s “rivers are not refuse dumps; let us avoid polluting our rivers, dumping sewage into our rivers, and untreated effluents into our rivers, and stop open defecation, as well as other harmful practices in our rivers.”
While reaffirming the present administration’s commitment to ensuring food security, jobs/wealth creation, inclusivity, and improving the socio-economic well-being of Nigerians, Prof. Utsev stated that the Ministry was conscious of maintaining a balance between irrigation, water quality, and food production for improved crop yield, food safety, and human health conditions.
In his remarks, the Minister of State for Water Resources and Sanitation, Rt. Hon. Muhammad Goronyo, stressed the need to preserve the integrity of the nation’s rivers vis-à-vis the dams to ensure sustainable management and guarantee a healthy environment for future generations.
Hon. Goronyo said the Ministry, considering the enormous benefits being derived from the multipurpose uses of the nation’s dam infrastructure, including water supply, irrigation, flood control, and hydropower generation, shall continue to demonstrate its commitment to protecting lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure from the devastating effects of flooding in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
On his part, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Richard Pheelangwah, said the 2024 Word River Day celebration was meant to mainly draw attention of the populace to the imperatives of upholding the standards of healthy rivers, its right to exist, flow, and to be protected from pollution in all ramifications so as to enhance its crucial biodiversity, habitat, and ecological functions.
Mr. Pheelangwah said it was “disheartening that despite the tremendous benefits that rivers play in our lives and communities, the rivers in Nigeria are thrown to diverse pollution, climate change, urbanisation, population growth, industrial development, and other human activities that endanger the sources of our fresh water with likely attendant negative effects.”.
He expressed the Ministry’s determination to continue its frontline roles of annually sensitising the general public on its drive to meet the set objectives, adding that the Ministry aims to provide sustainable access to safe and sufficient water to meet the cultural and socio-economic needs of Nigerians while enhancing public health, food security, and poverty reduction, which are all in line with the “Renewed Hope Agenda” of the present administration of President Bola Tinubu.
Earlier, in her goodwill message, the Acting Executive Director of the Nigeria Integrated Water Resources Management Commission, Mrs. Sakinatu Suleiman Abbo Jimeta, said the Commission, which is charged with the responsibility of regulating the water sector, recognises the importance of rivers as lifelines of communities, supporting agriculture, industry, and urban centres.
While acknowledging the challenges facing the nation’s river systems, including pollution, habitat and ecosystem destruction, and climate change, the Director reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to protecting and preserving the riverine ecosystems by reviewing and improving on existing policy and regulatory frameworks.
“We will ensure the enhancement of existing water quality standards and guidelines, including a more aggressive enforcement of regulations for sustainable surface water abstraction,” Mrs. Jimeta added.
She solicited the unflinching cooperation of all stakeholders as the commission embarks more strongly on monitoring and enforcement by ways of conducting regular water quality monitoring, inspection and enforcement of compliance with pollution regulations, and establishment of surveillance systems for early detection of potential pollutants in the nation’s rivers.
The high point of the event was the visit to popular Jabi Lake for ceremonial clearing of waterways and tree planting.
