Daily Independent (Lagos)
Nigeria: Experts Task FG On Potentials of Dams for Hydro-Electricity
Chibuzor Emejor
20 January 2011
Abuja � Experts in the water sector management have tasked the Federal
Government to give priority attention to the development of hydro-
electricity potential of the 19 existing dams in Nigeria.
This formed one of the resolutions of the stakeholders in the just
concluded Presidential Summit on Water held in Abuja.
A communiqu� made available to Daily Independent also urged the
Federal Government to properly position the water sector and move
water supply coverage in Nigeria from the current 58 percent to 75
percent as well as improve sanitation from 32 percent to 65 percent by
2015.
It noted that 50 percent of the country's health burden will be lifted
if the water sector is well developed, as colossal loss of Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) occasioned by this situation will drastically
reduce.
The experts lamented that despite the huge water resources endowment,
Nigeria in comparison with other emerging economies is grossly under-
developed in terms of potable water supply, dams and irrigation
infrastructure.
Vanguard
They also called on the Federal Government to invest more in
hydrological and flood control issues, particularly hydro-
metrological, early warning systems, hydro-graphical and hydrometric
data collection and flood plain analysis.
As part of the urgent measures to ensure the implementation of the
road-map on water, the stakeholders called for the setting up of
standing Presidential Committee on Water Sector Development to be
chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan and selected State Governors
and private sector.
The communiqu� appealed to States and Local Governments to play the
needed roles in cost sharing both in terms of up scaling budgetary
provision for the water sector and in maintaining the infrastructure
in collaboration with the Federal Government.
________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list: africa@list.internationalrivers.org
To be removed from the list, please visit:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2486/unsubscribe.jsp
No comments:
Post a Comment