Mrs. Ochekpe
The Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe, on Tuesday said the Federal Government needs about $2.5billion to provide access to potable water for at least 75 per cent of Nigerians
She said only 58 per cent of Nigerians presently have access to potable water.
She also said government may soon regulate construction of boreholes nationwide to preserve the nation’s ground water.
Ochekpe made the disclosures at the 20th Edition of the Leadership Forum of Nigerian Pilot in Abuja.
She said: “In terms of access to potable water, we have coverage of about 58 per cent of Nigerians and 30 per cent for effective sanitation. These are figures for 2010 but we have commissioned a consultant to assess the coverage for 2011.
“Our target by 2015 is to have coverage of 75 per cent for water. From the MDG projection, we need about $2.5billion to be able to provide access to potable water for 75 per cent of our population.”
On Lake Chad, the minister admitted that it has sunk in the last 40 years.
She added: “From about 27,000 square kilometers in the past 40 years, Lake Chad has sunk into about 2,000 square kilometers. For us in Nigeria, that is quite alarming.
“There are about 57,000 hectares available for irrigation but with the water challenge in South Chad Basin, they could only do about 10 per cent of the land now. So far, Nigeria has committed about $5million for studies on Lake Chad. The report of the studies is almost ready for consideration by the Summit of Heads of States of Lake Chad Commission,” Ochekpe said.
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