Water
By Ibukun Emiola
Ibadan, March 21, 2018, (NAN) Mr Charles Olumese, the National President, Nigerian Association of Hydrogeologists, has called for the effective management of water resources to curb diseases and reduce pollution.
Olumese made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Wednesday, ahead of the World Water Day, celebrated on March 22.
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“We should be conscious; more advocacy, more enlightenment, so that the little that the government has been able to do with the meagre resources available to it can be better utilised.
“Otherwise we are going to get to a crisis situation; what will happen is that you will have a situation where you have more water borne diseases.
“You are going to have a situation where you are not going to have enough food because there is no aspect of human life that does not require water.
“If we misuse the little we have, we are creating problems for tomorrow.”
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Olumese stressed the need to prioritise the value for water in Nigeria and educate the public on wastage and water pollution.
“Many of us do not know that wholesome water comes at a cost and there is a lot of wastage with attendant scarcity.
“We need to start from home to school and then the media should help in highlighting the dangers in the misuse of such vital resources.
“Look at our mechanic workshops, people discard batteries: car batteries, heavy duty batteries, acid, lead, just like that and lead poisoning is a killer any day.
“Look at our refuse disposal areas in our cities; you will discover that all those things that are deposited there, with time, shift down to the underground water and pollute it.
“In the oil industry we have pipelines being breeched on a daily basis; oil being spilled into water bodies and no effort is being made for remediation,” he said.
While commenting on Nigeria’s theme for the 2018 World Water Day: “Sustainable Water Resources Development in Nigeria: Meeting the Lake Chad Challenge”, the expert said prudent management would tackle the challenges of the lake. (NAN)
IBK/MUK/IS
Edited by Magdalene Ukuedojor/Ismail Abdulaziz