River Basin to construct dam in Auchi for irrigation

The Benin Owena River Basin Authority (BORBA) plans to construct a dam in Auchi to boost irrigation, Managing Director of the authority, Dr. Saliu Ahmed said yesterday.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Ahmed made the disclosure during a courtesy visit to the Otaru of Auchi.
While pledging to address the problem of potable water supply in the town, Dr. Ahmed said the dam when constructed will encourage all year round farming in the area in line with Federal Government’s efforts of diversifying the economy through agriculture.
He said it would also ensure food security in the country.
He said that the authority was targeting 10,000 hectares of land for irrigation in the area, adding that the farm mode would involve cropping, aquaculture, animal husbandry, agricultural processing and marketing.
The managing director pledged that the authority would intervene in the water problem in Auchi by rehabilitating some facilities within the municipal water infrastructure.
“God willing, beginning from this year, 2018 Benin Owena River Basin is going to intervene in the water problem in Auchi.
“The problems of potable water supply to homes in this Kingdom shall be relieved through the expansion of the head works and extension of the reticulation lines,” Ahmed said.
The managing director explained that the authority’s mandate was to construct dams and irrigation systems, provide potable water, manage surface and underground water and provide rural infrastructure.
“The medium term strategy of Benin Owena River Basin Development Authority is to continually increase the arable land with irrigation facilities for an all year cropping.
“Thus creating jobs for more people who will directly and indirectly be involved in farming,” the MD was quoted to have said.
He stressed that river basins in the country have the task of translating government economic diversification option by providing the needed facilities to entice more people embrace agriculture.
The Otaru of Auchi, Aliru Momoh thanked the managing director and his management team for the visit and pledged the support of the people of the community on all projects to be undertaken by the authority.