NGO says waste water management possible in Nigeria

 

Nigeria can achieve centralised waste water management through policies and investment, Fountain Water Limited an international NGO has said
Mr Abdullahi Aminu, the organisations’s Head of Waste Water, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.
Aminu said that Nigerian states could succeed in turning waste water to potable water as many developed nations had done through proper investment.
He said that that adopting the right policies was key to achieving innovative management of waste water in the country and would encourage public-private sector partnerships.
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“It’s a big challenge really, that should be the goal government should be looking forward to.
“But because of the limited resources available to the government, even Lagos State is attempting it; but it can’t just find its way around it because it requires enormous fund allocation.
“I think through public-private partnership and a good policy, it could be accelerated.
“If you have private participation, companies could actually respond as well, but then we need the right policy from the government to make sure our investment is not wasted.
“If you invest in building such a centralized facility for an area for example, you need the government.
“Sometimes, you don’t want to take the risk because sometimes when government changes, policies change; so you are looking for a balance.
“If you could gather international investors to say this is a good project and then waste are just linked from the houses directly into the centralized system.
“ For example, if you install a centralized waste system for Maitama, then you need a very good policy to make sure you end up getting back at least the investment cost.
“Every private investor will want something that will generate some profit at the end of the day to justify its investment.
“The government could also assist but because we are so far behind, we need some private participation to move as fast as possible to catch up with the rest of the world. “It’s something people have done for decades, now that they are enjoying.”
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NAN recalls that the Federal Ministry of Water Resources had indicated interest to embark on waste water management to boost water supply in the country.
Mr Samuel Ome, the ministry's Director, Water Quality Control and Sanitation, said it was imperative as the demand for adequate water supply was on the increase due to migration of people from the rural into urban areas.
He said that the treatment and re-use of waste water would cater for water- stressed areas, which had been predicted globally due to expected population explosion.
He had told NAN earlier that waste water management was an area the ministry was considering, to see how best to manage urban settlements which were fast springing up in many prominent cities.
Ome said that if properly funded, the venture would serve as a veritable tool for climate change adaptation, to intensify the production of water suitable for human consumption and for agricultural purposes.