From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
The Federal government has pledged to ultilise the positive impacts of flooding for sustainable agricultural development and food security in Nigeria.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Joseph Utsev made this known during a visit to the National Hydrological Service Agency (NIHSA), on Tuesday.
Engr. Utsev explained that flooding has both positive and negative impacts, and the government is working to mitigate the negative impact of flooding on Nigeria as well as harnessing the positive impact on food security.
” Flood has both advantages and disadvantages. We will harness the positive impacts for the development of agriculture and food security in the country.”
He,also urged Nigerians to adhere to flood warnings from the agancy to reduce especially the lost of lives which unreplaceable.
Minister of states for water resources and sanitation, Bello Muhammad Goronyo, on his part stated that the importance of NIHSA in the development of water and sanitation sector can not be overemphasised.
He stressed that ministry is poised to repositioning the agency for the proper derivation of dàta for the development of the sector
“We are here because of the importance attached to this agency. It is a data driven agancy and nothing can be done without data both in the water and none water sector.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Director General (DG) of the Agency, Clement Nze lamented the poor working conditions of the agency which he said have mitigated against its efficiency.
He listed : lack of manpower, utility vehicles, and poor funding, among others as factors hindering collection of sustainable data on water.
The NIHSA DG urged the new minister of water resources to reposition the agency for greater efficiency.