Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Federal Government is to partner the Association of Water Well Drilling Rig Owners and Practioners Nigeria (AWDROP), to regulate indiscriminate borehole drilling, adding that companies that do not understand the dynamics of sinking boreholes were fleecing of their Nigerians.
According to the Federal Government, constant drilling of boreholes could lead to the vanishing of the soil moisture and fertility of soil.
The government, through the Executive Director, Nigeria Integrated Water Resource Management Commission (NIWRMC), Engr Rufia Aliyu, disclosed this yesterday, in Abuja, when he received the delegation of AWDROP, in Abuja, added that the move was also necessitated due to the growing number of quacks parading and dragging the name of NIWRMC in a mud and also to shore up revenue for the government.
“Water is one of the national resources that needs to be properly managed through regulations for economic and sustainable development.
“The water sector can generate reasonable revenue for the government and also create employment opportunities for the teaming population.
“Quacks can not continue to drill boreholes in places not advisable. We need to strengthen our laws to decisively deal with defaulters,”he added.
“More so, we call on partnership with local and international bodies to reform the water sector,”he added.
He, however, recommended bodies to obtain licence with sophisticated machines to meet up with international best practices.
Aliyu also charged AWDROP to be vanguard of whistle blowing in order to weed out quacks, and come up with initiatives to advance the core mandate of the agency.
In his remarks, President of AWDROP, Engr Michael applauded the efforts of the agency in strengthening legal frameworks.
Represented by Ajayi Richard, Ale implored the Commission to take into consideration the indigenous Water Well drilling companies who are almost out of business while fixing the licensing fees, review the code of practice for water, in order to bring proper standardisation to the industry, carry the 36 states along.