By Dare Akogun
The Kwara State Commissioner for Water Resources, Hon. Usman Yunusa Lade has called for collaboration with the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority (LNRBDA), to provide potable water for the people of the state.
The Commissioner made the call during a meeting with the Managing Director of the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority, Engr. (Dr.) Adeniyi Saheed Aremu in his office in Ilorin, the state capital.
Hon. Lade, who described the visit as a friendly one, stressed the need for the Ministry and the agency to incorporate new technological innovations at improving the supply of potable water across the nooks and crannies of the state.
“The purpose of this visit is the need to reestablish quality and formidable partnership for the development of water infrastructure and to further incorporate new technological innovations aimed at improving the supply of potable water across the nooks and crannies of the state”, he said.
The Commissioner advised the Managing Director on the need to convert some of the Waterworks and Borehole Driven Mini Waterworks into Solar Driven system, which he noted, would help to eliminate the challenges of epileptic power supply and maintenance cost of the waterworks.
In his response, the Managing Director, Engr. (Dr.) Adeniyi Saheed Aremu appreciated the Commissioner’s initiatives at ensuring that the state gets uninterrupted water supply and effective maintenance of the infrastructures provided by the state government.
Dr Aremu revealed that the Federal Government has made a lot of developmental efforts in the water sector and in making water available for the people of the state through the various water intervention projects.
Such projects, according to the MD, included the upgrade of Malete Waterworks in Moro Local Government; construction of Patigi Waterworks, Patigi Local Government; Special Intervention on Agba Dam (New) Waterworks in Ilorin, and Oyun, (Offa) New Waterworks, among others.
Engr. Aremu, who explained that his agency does not have the capacity to operate the day-to-day running of waterworks facilities, admitted that the state government and the benefiting communities should be able to maintain and protect facilities located in their domains.
The MD stated further that his agency has made available surface and ground water for sanitation and irrigation schemes, which could be enhanced for municipal and industrial usage.
In the area of sanitation, Engr. Aremu emphasized that the state government must be ready to tap from the counterpart fund scheme for the provision of public toilets across the state, in order to make the state attain the Open Defecation Free status.
