Abuja (Federal Ministry of Water Resources Report) – The Minister of Water Resources, Sarah Reng Ochekpe has announced that the Nigerian Government has completed the construction of 37 large dams with 149 other dams ongoing all over the country in the four years of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s administration.
Sarah Reng Ochekpe made this known in her presentation at the just concluded four days Public Affairs Forum on – “The Jonathan Administration: Four Impactful Years,” organized by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe (Dr) in Abuja from October 30 – November 4, 2014.
The Minister said that the Ministry has engaged the construction, operation and maintenance of dams nationwide to impound raw water for potable water supply, hydropower, irrigation, fishery development, flood control, tourism and recreation. She added that the Ministry in the last four years, completed 37 large dams of various sizes, rehabilitated 10 dams, while the construction works on 149 dams of various capacities are ongoing across the country.
“Out of the 37 completed dams, 16 were with hydropower potentials capable of generating 135.15 megawatts of electricity and when the construction works of all the dams are completed, the water impoundment in the nation’s dams would be increased by 3.6 billion cubic meters. The existing dams, including the breached Goronyo Dam Emergency Spillway in Sokoto; the Alau Dam in Borno; Tiga and Chalawa Gorge Dams in Kano; Hadejia Barrage in Hadejia as well as other dams in many States have been rehabilitated for more optimal operations,” the Minister iterated.
Speaking on the Kashimbila Multipurpose Dam, the Minister averred that the dam was intended to control likely flood emanating from the imminent collapse of Lake Nyos upstream in Cameroon, indicating that the project has reached 87% completion status. She also hinted that the procurement of the works on the proposed Datsin Hausa Dam which would address the issues of flooding as a result of uncontrolled release of water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon is currently under review.
The dignitaries present at the occasion, among whom were the key Ministries overseeing the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan were invited to present their scorecards in the past four years.
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