NAN-AE-14
Data
By Muhammad Bashir
Dutse, Oct. 10, 2016 (NAN) Alhaji Ibrahim Garba, the Jigawa Commissioner for Water Resources, on Monday urged the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) to ensure sustainable collation of data on Hadejia, Jama’are, Komadugu, and Yobe River Basin.
Garba made the remark at the sensitisation workshop on 2016 Flood Prediction, Prevention and Mitigation in Hydrological Areas in Dutse.
The commissioner said that 15 million people are getting livelihood directly or indirectly on the river basin.
He urge NIHSA to increase the level of cooperation and synergy to Jigawa government, in ensuring sustainable data collection, collation and dissemination between all stakeholders on this basin and the country.
According to him, the river basin covers land area of about 148,00km, with over 30 million people, out of which 15 million people are getting their livelihood directly or indirectly.
“The river transverse through six states of Plateau, Kano, Bauchi at the upstream while Jigawa, Yobe and Maiduguri at downstream,” he said.
Garba said that the basin is considered to be of strategic national and international importance to Nigeria.
“It is the source of internationally-shared water, whose management in Nigeria has an important bearing on diplomacy in four countries- Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Central African Republic,” he said.
He said the Jigawa government was collaborating with the authorities of Hadejia-Jama’are River Basin, to enhance free flow of water at the downstream.
“The Jigawa government is making efforts, in collaboration with Hadejia Jama’are River Basin Authority, to carry out mechanical clearance of typha-grass from part of Guri town, leading to Jigawa-Yobe axis.’’
According to Garba, the Jigawa government is supporting self-help groups with necessary working materials in flood-prone local government areas.
The commissioner identified the flood-prone areas as Ringim, Taura, Jahun, Miga, Kafinhausa, Kirikasamma and Birniwa.(NAN)
MNB/FLP/AFA
Edited by Folorunso Poroye/Felix Ajide
============================