RSG Warns Against Drilling Boreholes Without Approval

Rivers State Government has warned that henceforth, multinational oil companies, local government councils and the private sector in the state must get approval from the Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development before they can sink boreholes or embark on any water project in the state.
Delivering his keynote address at the two-day participatory training workshop for water producers in the state, the Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development, Dr Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja said, the move was to ensure the quality of the water that was delivered to the people for consumption.
Gogo-Jaja expressed optimism that the Port Harcourt Water Supply and Sanitation Project would be completed before Governor Nyesom Wike completes his term by 2023, adding that, those in the sector would not have to install their plants anymore as there would be access to quality drinking water.
The commissioner appealed to water operators to see their service as an essential one, and asked the Water Service Regulatory Commission to do all that was necessary to sanitise the sector from quacks.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Director General of the Rivers State Water Service Regulatory Commission, Engr Amatemaso Emmanuel had said, the objective of the training was to expose operators to water quality management skills as a requisite for good manufacturing practice.
Explaining further, Amatemaso, said the training would also provide participants with detailed understanding of statutory requirements of cost effective water treatment production that would ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
In his remarks, facilitator of the workshop and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Eco Perfect Group, Mr Hanson Biambo identified lack of basic training as the major problem in the water sector.
He said the workshop would educate water operators on the various reforms in the sector to enhance their performance as they would be equipped with the skills and technical knowhow in doing their business.
The workshop, which has as its theme, “Water Management and Regulatory Compliance”, had interactive and practical sessions.

By: Nelson Chukwudi