The Director, Irrigation and Drainage, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Dr Elijah Aderibigbe, has assured that the Federal Government will complete all abandoned water projects in the country.

Aderibigbe told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday, July 13, 2018 that the step was necessary to see that previous investments in the sector would not be a waste.

According to him, huge sums of money have been invested in some projects, as their completion would be beneficial to all Nigerians.

He, however, noted that some projects had been phased out, as completing them would amount to economic waste, saying the present hectares in the country stood at 70,000.

‘‘The present administration is continuing from where the previous administration stopped, this means that we are not embarking on any new project for now.

‘‘We are looking at those projects that are near completion, we are looking at those ones that were abandoned and had reached advanced stages.

‘‘We are revisiting them; the Federal Government is providing money.

‘‘We have called the contractors back to site, so that the benefits will be enjoyed by all Nigerians, especially where the projects are sited.’’

The director said schemes such as the Mamu-Akwa in Anambra State and Sabke Irrigation project in Katsina State had been completed and handed over to the primary users through the river basins.

He said efforts were ongoing to convert the schemes in two sources of energy and to also see that issues of sustainability when it comes to operation and maintenance were settled.

According to Aderibigbe, the Shagari Irrigation project in Sokoto State is almost completed.

He said that some projects that were abandoned since the time of Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) were being resuscitated to see that Nigerians benefit from the water infrastructure.

He commended the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for giving its blessings toward meeting the Revised Estimated Total Cost need for some abandoned projects through priority of attention.

He said irrigated agriculture practice was fast becoming an important sector in the economy.

According to him, this is not surprising because most of the populace rely on agriculture and agro-related activities for their livelihoods.

He, however, added that other benefits of irrigated agriculture include the value chain addition through marketing and transportation in food production.

‘‘The benefits are enormous, even under a farmer, many would be employed when irrigated agriculture works,’’ he added.

He urged Nigerians to take ownership of all water utilities, saying participatory irrigation concept would help to promote sustainability of projects.

He director advised the Water Users Association to play a huge role in maintaining water facilities.

By Tosin Kolade

Municipal Workers in Western Japan struggled on Friday, July 13, 2018 to restore water supplies, a week after floods caused by a record downpour killed more than 200 people in the worst such disaster in 36 years.

Communities that grappled with rising floodwaters now find themselves battling scorching summer temperatures, well above 30 degrees Celsius (86°F), as foul-smelling garbage piles up in mud-splattered streets.

“We need the water supply back,’’ said Hiroshi Oka, 40, a resident helping to clean up the Mabi district in one of the hardest-hit areas, the city of Kurashiki, where more than 200,000 households have gone without water for a week.

“What we are getting is a thin stream of water and we can’t flush toilets or wash our hands,” he added, standing over a 20-litre (4.4-gallon) plastic tank that was only partly filled after almost four hours of waiting.

Water has been restored to some parts of the district, a city official told Reuters, but he did not know when normal operations would resume, as engineers were trying to locate pipeline ruptures.

More than 70,000 military, police and firefighters have fanned out to tackle the aftermath of the floods.

There have been 204 deaths, the government said, with dozens missing.

Large piles of tatami straw mats, chairs and bookcases could be seen all over Mabi.

The smell of leaded gasoline, mixed with a sour smell of mud and debris, filled the air.

The weather has fuelled concerns that residents, many still in temporary evacuation centres, may suffer heat stroke or illness as hygiene levels deteriorate.

Shizuo Yoshimoto, a doctor making the rounds at evacuation centres, said an urgent challenge was to bring necessary drugs to patients with diabetes and high blood pressure, who were forced from their homes or whose clinics are closed.

“There are quite a few cases where patients are unable to get drugs.

“So, one issue is how to maintain treatment for those with chronic illness. Another is acute illness, as heatstroke is on the rise,’’ he said.

Public broadcasters, NHK, has spread advice on coping with high temperatures and maintain hygiene, such as a video tutorial on how to make a diaper from a towel and plastic shopping bag.

Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga, urged people in flood-hit areas to guard against thunderstorms.

“People still need to be aware of the possibility of further landslides,’’ he told reporters.

Severe weather has increasingly battered Japan in recent years, including similar floods last year that killed dozens of people, raising questions about the impact of global warming.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who cancelled a scheduled overseas trip to deal with the rescue effort, visited Kurashiki on Thursday and said he aimed to visit other flood-damaged areas on Friday and over the weekend.

Five African early career research scientists took to stage at the 41st Water Engineering and Development Centre’s (WEDC) International Conference at the Egerton University in Kenya to showcase ongoing research achievements so far under a project to unlock the potential of groundwater for the poor.

Drawn from Kenya, Uganda, Malawi and Ethiopia, the young researchers discussed some of the complex social science, physical science and practical issues, given their experience in two research areas namely: “Gro for GooD”, through which scientists are developing a ground water risk management in Kenya, and the “Hidden Crisis”, which is unravelling current failures for future success in rural groundwater supply.

“Am not shy to say that it is my first time to participate in a research of this magnitude,” said Willy Sasaka, Assistant Hydrogeologist from the Rural Focus Company, which is coordinating the Gro4GooD research in Kenya.

Guided by scientists from the University of Nairobi, Oxford University, the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, and the University of Barcelona, the research project has led to discovery of two paleochannels in Kenya’s Kwale County, which is the main source of groundwater that drives the tourism industry along Diani beach, serves residents of Ukunda, and supports a large scale irrigated sugarcane farming initiative in Kwale among others.

Sasaka made his presentation alongside his colleague, Suleiman Mwakuria, who explained how the scientists have been able to involve the local community in the research, including students who help in reading rain gauges, among other things.

Patrick Makuluni, a geologist from Malawi, talked about functionality and failures of boreholes in his country, showcasing slides to show how scientists have been able to identify reasons why boreholes fail soon after they have been sunk.

“Millions of pounds of investment by water users, charities and tax-payers are wasted each year by water points failing soon after construction,” he told delegates at an event organised by the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) on the sidelines of the WEDC conference. “Getting a more complete understanding of how to keep water flowing from boreholes will reduce waste and improve water services for Africa’s poorest communities,” said Makuluni.

So far, the Malawi study, through which the scientists dismantled 50 functioning and dead boreholes to examine the underlying causes of failure, has already come up with preliminary findings.

“We found out that one of the causes of borehole failure was vandalism,” said Makuluni. Other boreholes were abandoned due to poor water quality, some due to poor maintenance; others were silted, while in some cases there were governance problems.

However, the young scientist noted that the researchers are yet to do data analysis, compile results, make reports and disseminate the findings.

Yehualaeshet Tadesse, young female scientists from Ethiopia presented a similar case, but focusing on social causes for poorly functioning water pumps in her country.

In Ethiopia, 170 water pumps in nine districts were surveyed in the first phase of the research project, where it was found that lack of village level operation and maintenance skilled manpower was one of the contributing factors for water pump failure.

“We also found out that water pumps located in areas with alternative water sources such as springs, streams, private water scheme were poorly maintained,” said Tadesse.

She pointed out that pumps on non-communal land were often neglected, and as well, communities with limited finance and savings did not manage their boreholes well.

In Uganda, Joseph Okullo from Makerere University talked about rainfall variability, and how it affected groundwater in his country.

“Rainfall chloride concentration was interestingly found to be higher during drier season,” he told the WEDC delegates.

The 41st WEDC International Conference is co-hosted with Egerton University, on Egerton main campus (near Nakuru) in Kenya between July 9 and 13, 2018. The conference is a valued and respected platform for reflection, debate and exchange of knowledge and ideas that are rooted in practice.

Courtesy: PAMACC News Agency