| The Daily Crucible | Friday, October 28, 2022
By Heritage Odih, Abeokuta
Experts in water engineering have called on federal and state governments to put in place urgent regulation in the water sector to regulate the nation's water resources, check activities that lead to perennial flooding, safeguard public health and environmental sustainability
The experts in Water Engineering - Dr. Adeyinka Sobowale and Prof. Johnson Otun, who noted that the current devastating flood buffetting the country seems to strike once or twice every 10 years, attributed the cause in parts to silting of Rivers and Coaster water courses as well as annexation of Rivers flow pathways by man for development activities.
Dr Sobowale who is the National Chairman - designate, Nigerian Institution of Water Engineers (NIWE) and Prof. Otun of Water Resources & Environmental Engineering department, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, spoke separately in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital at a recent public lecture and 2022 annual general meeting of the state chapter of Nigerian Institution of Water Engineers.
They said Rivers and Coaster waterways had silted due to man's activities over the years, and since it was difficult for Rivers to flow into the ocean and lagoons through natural routes, the push back effect led to flooding in residential areas, communities and farm lands in many states of the federation.
They said if Nigerians kept denying water flows from Rivers the right of way and continued to build on waterways, the country would continue to experience devastating flood.
Prof. Johnson Otun who delivered the lecture titled, 'Imperative of Regulation in the Water Sector: Safeguarding Public Health and Environmental Sustainability,' noted that water and its sources are good but said they become problematic to man if there were no rules and regulations governing activities around them.
He said regulation will provide for water infrastructure to accommodate water challenges - flooding, coaster water protection, wetlands and mangroves protection, building of new dams, dredging of Rivers and Coaster waters as well as timely warnings before waters were discharged from dams.
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