Environment
World Water Day 2021 And Implication Of Clean Water
An 18th century poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge was right when in 1798 in his lyrical ballad; “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, says water water everywhere, nor any drop to drink”.
Similarly, a 2016 UNEP report noted that the high demand for water will exceed its supply by 40 percent in 2030, as situation that may force many governments across the world to spend $200 billion per year on upstream supply, as demand out-strips cheaper forms of supply up from historic average of $40 to $45 billion.
The United Nations General Assembly in 1992 adopted resolution A/RCS/47/193 and declared March 22nd every year as World Water Day.
The first world water day was observed in March 1993.
Rivers State joined the rest of the world to observe the 2021 world water day on the 22nd of March.
The theme for this year’s celebration was “Valuing Water”.
The event was attended by top government functionaries in Rivers State including the Rivers State, Governor, Chief Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, represented by the Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development, Dr Tamunosisi Gogo Jaja, speaker Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Ikunyi Owaji Ibani, Rivers State Head of Service, Barrister Rufus Godwin, former governor of Rivers State, Chief Celestine OmehiaChief OCJ Okocha amongst others.
Governor Wike, who declared the event opened said the state government was committed towards giving the people of Rivers State clean and potable water.
According to an address read by the Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development, Dr Tamunosisi Gogo Jaja the government has put in place structures that will take care of the need of Rivers people as far as the provision of water is concerned.
According to him, “the Rivers State water policy and water sector development law No. 7 of 2012, has introduced reforms in the water sector and ensured good water governance as a strong institutional framework that includes grassroot participation as stakeholder involvement to harness the natural resources and provide water for all in a sustainable manner.”
He listed some of the reforms as Port Harcourt Water Corporation (PHWC) to take care of water provision to Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor local government areas, Rivers State Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation agency, the Rivers State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) and the Rivers State Water Services Regulatory Commission (RSWSRC).
The commissioner said with the establishment of these water governance structures, the administration of governor Wike has prioritised the provision of potable water to residents of the state.
“These efforts have seen the provision of water in several communities in the state.
“Today, most rural communities in Opobo/Nkoro and Akuku-Toru local government areas can access clean and safe water as water facilities installed have treatment plants.
He stressed the need for companies operating in the state to assist the state government with the provision of water treatment in their host communities.
In his discourse entitled: Valuing Water, the Role of Corporate Organisations in Water Sanitation And Hygiene (WASH).
The General Manager of Port Harcourt Water Corporation, Chief Ibibia Walter, described as dangerous to the environment, the situation where almost every household has a borehole drilled to produce water.
Walter said some of the boreholes were drilled in the worst possible hygienic conditions within aquifers that are either polluted with hydrocarbons organic or other carcinogenic elements.
He also put the number of people in Nigeria who do not have access to potable water at 47 million.
“Approximately, 47 million people in Nigeria do not have access to water and possibly double that number do not have access to good water and sanitation”, he said.
Professor Kingdom .S. Abam, who also made presentation at the celebration stressed the need for the creation of awareness on the values of water and their importance among policy makers, industry and community leaders as well as journalists, writers, scientists among others.
Abam also called for a regional or state-wide leadership coalition on valuing water to mobilise champions that lead by example as showcase in the application of the principles for valuing water in a range of different contexts and settings.
He further stressed the need for collaborative action of key parties such as national and local governments, industry and civil societies on valuing water.
Other speakers such as the former Governor of Rivers State, Chief Celestine Omehia, Chief OCJ Okocha, Rufus Godwins and others called for strong commitment by government at all levels to ensure accessibility to clean and potable water by the people.
According to revelations at the celebration, water occupies 71 percent of the earth surface.
With such a large volume of water, it is incredible that billions of people across the world are lacking access to clean and potable water.
Moreover, some diseases such as cholera, typhoid, diarrhea and others are attributable to dirty water consumption.
The United Nations places much emphasis on clean water, that is why it made it article 6 of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).
Indeed there is water everywhere but no water to drink.
Some stakeholders in Okoroagu community in the Etche Local Government Area of Rivers state have blamed the perennial erosion in the community on the poor conditions of their road.
They are therefore calling for the rehabilitation of their road.
They said this in an interview with The Tide, at okoroagu.Speaking to The Tide,the Ochimba of Okoroagu community, Eze Marcus Amadi said the poor conditions of their road has retarded the growth and development of the community.
According to Eze Amadi,”The government has neglected us, they have forgotten about us, we have been writing letters to the government, both to the NDDC to come and repair our road for us, we are on our knees pleading to them to come help us out, at least they should just dredge the road for us”
Continuing he said”If the government comes today to repair our road, nobody will say they shouldn’t.
“Nobody will obstruct them. We have been shouting and crying that our road is not good, the road is affecting the community economically and socially in the sense that, there is no way we can carry our crops out because of erosion.
“Erosion have taken over the road, making it difficult for us to access other communities especially during rainfall you see people falling down and getting injured inside the river which we call Mmiri Ehe in our language, which reaches our waist line during raining season. Our people can not go to other market to sell their products due to the bad road”he saidAlso speaking,Chairman Community Development Committee( CDC )Okoroagu , Hon. Elvis Nwaobasi decried the situation of the road, stressing that economic activities are being affected as movement of goods and services have gradually slowed down in the area.
” The road have affected our women so badly, they are no longer going to the other neighboring markets to sell their Agric produce because of the nature of the road.
“This road has also affected us in many ways, it has affected our educational system, security system, it has also affected our health system, because with the nature of that road, people cannot access our health facilities in the community, with the nature of that road, people cannot access our school, with nature of the road, people cannot come in and do business in our community, we cannot access the road because of the neglect of the road.
“People are using our road for excuses to come in and invest and do businesses. People who come to our market to buy our products are no longer coming because of the nature of the road.” I am pleading with the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayig Fubara to please come to the aid of Okoroagu and repair our road. I am pleading with the Rivers State House of Assembly, we are suffering too much because of this road. We have been neglected and abandoned for years, the government should please come to our aid” he said.Also the women leader of Okoroagu community, Mrs. Anthonia Nweke blamed some politicians from the area for abandoning the people of Okoroagu
“Our road has been abandoned, overlooked, with no attention, mostly the higher politicians of the place, we have been abandoned for years”
In furtherance to the commitment of the Federal Government through the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation (HYPREP) to the full implementation of the recommendations of the UN Environment Programme Report on Ogoni Environment, the Project has commenced processes to designating Ogoni Wetland as a Ramsar Site.
Labaran Ahmed, National Focal Point for Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance and Assistant Director in the Federal Ministry of Environment, who is leading the process for collection of field samples, said the move will converse biodiversity, enhance livelihood, attract ecotourism and further earn global recognition for Ogoni Wetlands.The UNEP Report envisages that this would provide the Government with a roadmap for restoration and sustainable management of the Ogoni wetland, bring the site unto international among others.Project Coordinator, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, represented by Director Technical Services, Professor Damien-Paul Aguiyi said the project further attests to the Federal government’s commitment through HYPREP to implementing the UNEP Report simultaneously.Nigeria is a signatory to the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction(BBNJ) Agreement for how research on marine genetic resources must be conducted and documented, ensuring transparency and the equitable distribution of benefits.
Environment
Tribunal Acknowledges losses in Rare species Across the globe …urges for government Action
It was noted that the choice by the Brazilian government to host COP30 serves as a symbol of the importance of the Amazon. They denounced the current and future impacts of the expansion of the extractivist frontier, deforestation, fossil fuels and large-scale mining. It was urged that the Amazon, with its ecosystems, animal, plant species, and rich biodiversity, natural medicines and its vital and reproductive cycles, should be considered as a subject of rights together with the Indigenous Peoples, and other communities that inhabit it.
The co-president and judge of the tribunal, Nnimmo Bassey, while delivering the verdict, noted that the defence of the rights of Nature is the right way to carry out real climate action and that there is no climate justice without the rights of Nature.
The tribunal stressed the need to phase out fossil fuels and quickly move to renewable energy as a way that protects both communities and ecosystems from false solutions that merely benefit financial speculators and compound climate injustices. The Tribunal also urged the United Nations to adopt the pledge as a blueprint for international environmental law.
A copy of the declaration obtained by The Tide revealed that,Judges at the Tribunal included Ana Alfinito of Brazil, Nnimmo Bassey ( Nigeria), Enrique Viale (Argentina), Shannon Biggs (USA), Casey Camp Horinek (Ponca Nation, USA), Tom Goldtooth (USA), Princes Esmeralda (Belgium), Cormac Cullinan (South Africa), Patricia Gualings (Ecuador), Francesco Martone (Italy) Tzeporah Berman (USA), Ashish Katharine (India), Osprey Orielle Lake (USA), Pooven Moodley (South Africa) and Felicio Pontes (Brazil)
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