Mr Mathew Offie, a former Director, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, has advocated the engagement of hydrologists to effectively manage and enhance water resource development in the country.
Offie, a hydrologist, who was in charge of Irrigation and Drainage in the ministry, gave the advice in an interview with the TBI Africa said the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Friday in Abuja.
He said that only those with deep knowledge of hydrology would be able to offer efficient Hydrological Services (HSs) to enhance water resources in the country.
According to him, the primary role of HSs is to provide information to decision makers on the status and trends in water resources.
He said that such services include the assessment of the status of a country’s water resources in terms of quantity, quality and distribution in time and space.
Offie said that the information relating to the potential for water-related development and the resource’s ability to meet its actual demand in the country could be provided by the hydrologists in the water sector.
“HSs play other roles such as assessing the environmental, economic, and social impacts of existing and proposed water resources management practices, and planning sound management strategies.
“Providing security for people and property against water-related hazards, particularly floods and droughts, projecting the possible data and service needs of future users and preemptively collecting the required information among others,“ he said.
According to the ex-director, one of the essential elements of life on this planet is sustainable freshwater resources, therefore, sustainable development is demanded to manage the limited resources, hence the need for experts services.
“ The core business of HSs is built around their responsibility to provide essential water and related information to the community at large.’’
Offie said that water resource management was clearly recognised as critical to economic development, and crucial decisions were made based on good knowledge base-hydrological data which could only be provided by the water experts.
“A more coherent approach to data collection requires local capacity, appropriate technology, and institutional commitment, combined with the more intimate involvement of pro-active Nigerian hydrological engineers/hydrologists,“ he said
