NAN-AE-10
Principles
By Tosin Kolade
Abuja, June 15, 2017 (NAN) Dr Hassan Bdliya, a water management professional, has called for the implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) principles in the country.
IWRM is a process, which promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources, in order to maximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems.
Bdliya told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday that Nigeria needs to understand that “water could finish if not properly used in line with the IWRM principles’’.
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“What IWRM tries to do is to bring together all the concerned parties, so that there would be a participatory approach in handling water resources management issues.
“The concept actually was arrived at through interactions at the global level and it is now based on a set of principles which each country which embrace IWRM is supposed to employ in managing water at any level.
“These principles include the need to recognise that water is finite and it therefore has to be managed in a manner that you recognise the fact that it can finish.
“It also recognises the fact that it has a commercial as well as a social value it has to be managed in a way that it reflects those values.
“There are several other principles including recognising the fact that women play a critical role in water resources management, which we tend to ignore when ever decisions are being made.’’
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According to him, the history of IWRM in Nigeria has been bedevilled by several circumstances, denying the public of the best out of the water they have.
Bdliya said these challenges were caused by poor management, saying stakeholders developed water resources without following stipulated guidelines or principles.
“There are many examples in Nigeria , we have several dams and many people benefiting from the dams and many people likewise are also crying out that these dams have created more problems than solutions.’’
He said GWP Nigeria had been partnering with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to implement IWRM guidelines to promoting sustainability and development.
Bdliya said the group had attracted fundings for the implementation of pilot projects that led to food security by working on the inter-face between water, environment and agriculture production.
He said GWP Nigeria, accredited by the GWP Sweden, had also been working on national dialogues to promote water and food security, saying this would be better carried out with implementation of IWRM guidelines.
NAN reports that GWP Nigeria supports the effort of Government through the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, the Nigeria Integrated Water Resources Management. (NAN)
TAK/LAB/YEE
Edited by Lydia Beshel/Emmanuel Yashim
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