The Nigeria Integrated Water Resources Management Commission, (NIWRMC) says it will collaborate with NGOs and other relevant agencies to ensure that quack borehole drillers are eliminated.
Mr Magashi Umar, the Executive Director of the commission made this known on Tuesday in Abuja.
Umar said that the commission would also work with the agencies and NGOs to ensure effective sensitisation on the dangers involved in using quack drillers.
He said that the collaboration and the sensitisation would bring effective and positive result in the elimination of the quack drillers across the country.
He said that the commission had noticed the operation of such illegal drillers, adding that their activities were becoming unbearable.
According to him, the activities of illegal drillers is everywhere in the country and we cannot fold our hands to watch them doing what is not right.
“The activities will bring about dangers in the lives of many Nigerians, in a situation whereby drillers drill the borehole, leaving an iron inside the borehole and cover it.
“When the iron rusts, people will not get the right clean and quality water instead the water will be polluted causing sicknesses and diseases to the people.
“So these are the major reasons why we should not keep quiet, we must partner with other agencies and NGOs for effective sensitisation.
“We need to let people know that there are quack drillers, let them also know the implications and dangers associated while engaging with such people.
“We also need to collaborate to educate people so that they will know the different between the quack and real drillers among them.
“The drillers who are not registered do not have the right to drill, so they should do the rightful,’’ he said.
Umar said that the commission was partnering with Association of Water Well Drilling and Rig Owners Practitioners (AWDROP), Nigerian Association of Hydrologists, (NAH), among others.
He said that the collaboration was to ensure that the activities of illegal drillers were addressed properly across the country.
He added that the organisations ensured that drillers were registered for effective practices in the water sector.
The executive director who assumed duty in the commission recently said that his plan was to take the commission to a greater height.
“My plans are to move the commission forward to ensure that the commission moves to the greater height because there are a lot of things that needs to be done.
“The commission has been empowered by the water resources Act W2 LFN 2004 and water use regulations and licensing 2016 to regulate the abstraction of surface water and ground water.
“The commission also issues licensing after requirement has being met.
“So, the Act has given us the impetus to work and get to the greater height as well as achieving the mandates of the commission,’’ he said.
