THE Association of Waterwell Drilling Rig Owners and Practitioners (AWDROP), has sent a note of warning to some private borehole operators to stop taking advantage of the growing water scarcity as being witnessed in many parts of Nigeria to exploit unsuspecting Nigerians.
President of the association, Mr Michael Ale, noted that many unlicensed private drilling operators have began charging exorbitant fees for their services at the detriment of Nigerians.
Although, he attributed the unwholesome development to the nation’s current economic challenges leading to rising costs of drilling tools such as casings and fuel.
Ale, further stated that the alarming rate with which these operators charge their clients to render drilling services amounts to extortion and Nigerians are, unfortunately, at the receiving end.
He, therefore, urged the government to urgently come to the aid of the citizenry by urgently subsidising the cost of providing alternative water sources for the people most especially those in the rural area.
He warned private borehole operators to desist from the deliberate extortion of unsuspecting Nigerians and further urged the government to get rid of unlicensed private operators currently populating the water resources industry in Nigeria.
Ale, who had earlier decried a rising scarcity of water in the country, proffered other workable solutions to the challenge.
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Government can support the association to stem this extortion by supporting the drillers association by way of subsidising the cost of drilling for the masses.
Addressing the government on the need for urgent intervention, he added: “Many water schemes projects from government and agencies should be critically reviewed, if not, the projects are bound to fail.
“Many operators are not licensed to sell water, so, if water vending caused illness, the citizen has the right to approach the court of law.
“Water scarcity is hitting many states now and the cost of drilling is getting higher because of the exchange rate and the materials for borehole drilling e.g casings. Invariably, the cost of drilling is high which is mounting more pressure on the government to provide water.
“This scenario is making the vulnerable more exposed to health risks which will, in turn, make government spend more on the health sector. My advice to states where such an instance is precarious is to have a water supply resilient plan where emergency response is prompt.
“It is important to also note that government have the responsibility to make water available to citizens, that is ensuring access to potable water at an affordable and subsidised cost because many have paid their price through energy explored to get water from hand-dug well or borehole far away from their location.
“States battling with water scarcity include: Abuja, Taraba, lmo and Bauchi. My call to development partners is to make a concerted effort in making sure the programme for result Project they are supporting is sustainable,” he said.
Proffering more solutions to the challenges, Ale, who informed about efforts being made by AWDROP, to curb the wanton extortion of Nigerians, assured that professional drillers’ register will soon be opened so Nigerians will know who to patronise when it comes to borehole drilling in the country.
He further said: “Finally, a decentralised water supply system is geared towards locations where there is no transmission pipeline, hence access is still very important. This method will create employment opportunities for the youth through training of various artisans on pipe repairs and plumbing works.” Ale said.
Water scarcity: Stop exploiting uninformed Nigerians, AWDROP warns private borehole operators
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