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To meet growing demand for water resources amid increase in population and limited rainfall, Federal Government has begun development of strategies for a cost-effective water resources management.
Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, said that unless appropriate strategies are put in place, the scarcity of water resources being compounded by Nigeria’s growing population, could become worse, hence the need to plan ahead to mitigate the impact.
Adamu spoke at a two-day workshop on “Trans-boundary Water Governance: Conflicts and Management of Diplomacy”, organised by the ministry, in partnership with Regional Centre for Integrated River Basin Management (RC-IRBM) and IHE Delft Institute for Water Education in the Netherlands.
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The minister, who noted that extreme climate events such as flooding and droughts are already having serious negative impact on the Nigerian population, urged participants at the meeting to note that good governance of trans-boundary waters is critical for water security and national and regional socio -economic development, peace and stability.
Director General of National Water Resources Institute, Kaduna, and Chairman, Governing Board of Regional Centre for Integrated River Basin Management, Prof. Emmanuel Adanu, said Nigeria should be careful and adopt pragmatic approaches on her trans-boundary water agreements to avoid bilateral issues that some countries are now experiencing.
Permanent Secretary for the ministry, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, who was represented by the Director of Special Duties, Mr. Peter Nwakpa, said: “Water is essential for sustenance of life, hence citizens, industries and governments compete for access to water resources within the River Basins to serve their basic needs, productive uses or national growth strategies.”
In a statement, Director of Press in the ministry, Kenechukwu Offie, said: “The workshop could not have come at a better time than now considering the worsening impact of climate change world over on the ecosystems and water resources in particular.”
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