Population Growth Hampering Management Of Water Resources – Federal Govt

Federal government has identified population growth as one of the factors hampering the development and management of Nigeria’s water resources.

The minister of water resources and rural development, Engr Sulieman Adamu, stated this during the Sensitisation Workshop on the 2013 National Water Resources Master Plan and the United Nations Water Convention for stakeholders in the North Central geo-political zone, including Taraba, held yesterday in Abuja.

The 2013 National Water Resources Master Plan was developed by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources (FMWR) in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperative Agency (JICA) in 1995.

Adamu said the plan was the first integrated development strategy aimed at enhancing the nation’s water resources, financial and economic investment options to achieve accelerated growth, integrated water resources management, agricultural production and food security for the citizenry.

However, the minister said its implementation was very slow due to lack of political will, weak implementation structure, poor justification for budgetary provision and appropriations leading to low implementation of identified projects.

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He said, “A number of other issues that continue to hamper the development and management of the nation’s water resources are: increasing water demand due to population growth, uncoordinated water resources development among the three tiers of government, development partners and end users among others.”

Meanwhile, he said a review of the plan was carried out with the support of the Japanese Government which resulted in the development of a more integrated and sustainable approach to the growth and management of the nation’s water resources which was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on 3rd July, 2014.

Adamu said the workshop was therefore, an opportunity to evaluate the level of implementation of the National Water Resources Master Plan at all levels of governance preparatory to the review of the document proposed to hold during the 3rd quarter of this year.

In her welcome address, the permanent secretary, FMWR, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, said the workshop was borne out of the ministry’s decision to sensitise its directorate staff and stakeholders as part of efforts to strategically position the water sector for sustainable national development.