….As CWAY, stakeholders seek solution to water crisis 

By Etop Ekanem & James Ogunnaike

THE Nigerian Institution of Water Engineers, NIWE, has cautioned Ogun State residents, particularly those in Abeokuta, against indiscriminate drilling of boreholes, warning that this may lead to natural disasters in the future. 

NIWE noted that man-made activities of borehole drilling without regulation would hasten earthquakes and land tremors.

Speaking at a press conference to mark the 2023 World Water Day, the National Chairman of NIWE, Adeyinka Sobowale, explained that the concrete basement in the earth core will continue to be weakened and punctured by borehole drilling, urging the state government and other relevant authorities to monitor and regulate borehole drilling in the state. 

Sobowale said: “The Nigerian government, at all levels, need to rethink our strategies of meeting SDG 6; total commitment to ensure that these goals are pursued with passion for the well-being of our people. Meeting the SDGs will ensure that our nation becomes an egalitarian society.”

CWAY, stakeholders seek solution to water crisis

Meanwhile, an Associate Professor of the Department of Marine Sciences, University of Lagos, Roland Uwadiae has said that water recycling and reuse should enter Nigeria’s legal portfolio.

Uwadiae, who is a marine scientist, noted that Nigeria should strive to overcome water scarcity which constitutes a threat to water security.

He said: “Nigeria has water but lacks the infrastructure to distribute the water to citizens in dire need of it. Securing resources means finding the additional water resources needed to meet demand and respect the balance.

“This begins with technical solutions. In the future, we need to drill for water more deeply, transport it over longer distances, store it for longer and purify it more efficiently.”