Minister of Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Bello Goronyo, has disclosed plans to clean up Abuja’s Jabi Lake and halt unauthorized activities around and in lake following the diminishing Eco-hydrological value of the lake, which is traceable to encroachment by miscreants and vandals.
The Minister of State for Water, Resources, and Sanitation, who gave the hint during a progress report presentation at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja on Friday, assured stakeholders of his commitment to reaching out and collaborating to address these threats and protect Jabi Lake.
He assured further that the Lake’s ecosystem will be preserved for future water supply and demand, however, he pointed out the challenges faced by the Eco-hydrology research team, including increased construction of buildings around the Lake, which hinder access to its shorelines.
Meanwhile, the Chairman, Regional Center for Integrated River Basin Management, Prof Emmanuel Adanu, stressed on the importance of addressing identified threats and security challenges in the Jabi area during the presentation.
While presenting updates on research and capacity building in Eco-hydrology and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) on Jabi Lake, the Coordinator, Training and Education at RC-IRBM Project Desk Office, Dr Sani Ahmed, made it known that
Jabi Lake faces escalating threats due to the rapid increase in urbanization and socio-economic activities in its vicinity, he added that this poses a significant risk to the lake and its delicate ecosystem.
Ahmed said it was imperative for urgent measures be taken to adequately address these challenges that have led to the adoption of Eco-hydrology (EH) as a crucial strategy for Jabi Lake, through integrating EH principles.
