By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan.
Association of Water-Well Drilling Rig Owners and Practitioners (AWDROP) on Thursday asked the Federal and state governments in the South West to rise up and prevent possible earth tremor in some parts of the South west.
The Association handed down the warning in a statement made available to journalists in Ibadan signed by its National President, Mr.Michael Ale.
According to the National President, “AWDROP overheard the earth tremor in Saki and hereby sound the warning to the national Government to address the situation professionally”.
Mr Ale pointed out that the “issue if not well managed may eventually lead to natural disasters such as earthquake”
“AWDROP is informed of the salt water intrusion affecting underground water usage and subsistence along the land-ocean boundaries in shoreline areas like Lagos, Port Harcourt, Warri, Bayelsa, and Cross Rivers State of Nigeria, he said.
He expressed the association’s sympathy with many states in the North East where getting water for the dwellers has been herculean task especially in Borno and Yobe States because of the current insurgencies and lack of requisite equipment and technology to deliver good water supply in the region.
Mr Ale however frowned at the indiscriminate drilling practice persistence and a situation whereby the water drilling industry has being turned into an all comers affairs.
“AWDROP is set to enforce the power vested on the Association by the National Council of Water Resources to partner with state governments on the rejuvenation and revitalisation of abandoned bore hole and the application and enforcement of code of practice on bore hole drilling among drilling practitioners”Lamenting that many borehole projects do not last more than a year after commissioning because they are not designed to meet with the current standards and adaptive nature of the needs of the beneficiary communities, he said “this water project is abandoned and money is lost, while labour and time is wasted along the line of project execution”.
The AWDROP National President while advocating for better budgetary allocations to water Ministry said poor budget allocation was against “the demands of President’s vision to encourage Nigerians to move away from oil to agricultural practice especially all seasons farming practice whose major concentration is on underground water”.
He then lauded the administrative style of the Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman Adamu, saying, “AWDROP is much impressed on his achievement especially on his strategy to reposition the River Basins and Departments within the Ministry of water resources”.
