Abuja – The Minister of Water Resources, Mr
Suleiman Adamu, on Friday said the Kashimbilla
Multipurpose Dam Project with a reservoir
capacity of over 500 million cubic meters (mcm)
is ready for inauguration.
Adamu said this in a statement at the ongoing
Regular Meeting of the National Council on
Water Resources in Akure, and made available to
the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
He said the water supply scheme located in
Takum, Taraba, would guarantee healthy living
conditions for the benefitting communities
through the supply of water, 40MW of electricity,
irrigation, fishery and tourism.
He said the project, which has a 60,000m3/day
capacity water treatment plant would supply
potable water to Takum town and Jato-Aka
town in Taraba and Benue States respectively
and their adjoining communities.
He also added that the irrigation scheme of
2,000 hectares of farmland would boost
employment generation and food security in line
with the Federal Government’s Agricultural Policy
thrust.
According to him, one of the major challenges is
that many of the states are not keying into the
completed dam projects constructed by the
Federal Government.
“It is expected that when the Federal
Government constructs dams to impound bulk
water, the states should key in to construct
treatment plants and conveyances pipeline to
distribute the water to the end users.’’
He expressed optimism that the council meeting
would proffer workable solutions to these
problems in order to derive maximum benefits
from these projects.
Adamu said within the framework of the
Economic Recovery and Growth Plan of President
Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration, the
ministry has intensified efforts at positioning
irrigated agriculture to the fore as the fulcrum for
sustainable economic growth, poverty alleviation
and job creation.
He added that the approved roadmap of the
ministry targets improving food production in the
country and ensuring food security with the
development of additional 500,000 hectares of
land under irrigation by the year 2030.
“The first phase of this plan is attainment of
100,000 hectares of land under irrigation by the
year 2020.
“Towards meeting this target, plans have been
concluded to complete 29Nos viable ongoing
irrigation projects as well as bring on board new
projects.
“Currently, feasibility studies are ongoing for
development of the vast potential available in the
Benue River Valley,’’ he said.
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The minster added that the overall long term
outcome of the studies would be optimisation of
the land and water resources potential of the
study area with respect to water development for
irrigation.
He said the ministry in late 2016 launched the
Graduate/Youth Empowerment Scheme, an
agricultural scheme for young graduates in line
with the set targets for the sector.
He said the scheme, already launched in seven
locations include: Kampe Irrigation Project in
Kogi, Integrated Farming Project in Ogun; Talata
Mafara in Zamfara and Kadawa Integrated
Centre in Kano.
Others are, Ogoja Irrigation Scheme in Cross
River; Agbala Integrated Farm Project in Imo and
Doma Dam Irrigation Project in Nasarawa State.
He said the programme mirrors the Songhai
Integrated Farm Model, saying it would be
extended to the 109 Senatorial Districts of the
country, being piloted by the River Basin
Development Authorities.
NAN recalls that the Federal Executive Council
(FEC) had approved the augmentation of the
contract sum for the implementation of the
project to the tune of N46.1billion.
He asserted that the Federal Government would
complete most of the 116 inherited projects
under the ministry in line with the water
resources roadmap.
The National Council on Water Resources is the
apex policy making body for the water resources
sector and it meets at least once in a year to
formulate policies, strategies and management
principles for the sector.
Members of the council include the Minister of
Water Resources and the Commissioners for
Water Resources in the 36 states as well as the
officer-in-charge of water resources in the
Federal Capital Territory.
Others are the Managing Directors of Water
Boards and River Basin Development Authorities,
the General Managers/Managing Directors of the
Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agencies,
Water Regulatory Commissions, as well as
relevant stakeholders and development partners.
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