KEY POINTS
- The FG will build seven dams in the Southwest for irrigation, food security, and flood control.
- A plan to concession the hydropower component of the Oyan Dam in Kebbi State which will generate nine megawatts.
- They urge engineers to recommend green technologies and adapt building standards to make sure of resilient cities.
To provide irrigation and improve food security, the Federal Government of Nigeria has said it will construct more seven dams in the Southwest.
Managing Director of the Ogun Osun River Basin Development Authority, Adedeji Ashiru disclosed that the dams will be crucial for year-round farming, in keeping with President Bola Tinubu’s agenda to focus agriculture.
Irrigation dams, food security dams, and flood control dams
The government will incorporate infrastructure to facilitate farming, including greenhouses, open fields, and storage facilities, as they award the new dams by the end of the week.
These dams also play an ecological dual purpose in helping to manage flooding. Dr. For example, he highlighted the Oyan Dam which he said prevents floods in places like Abeokuta and Isheri.
Other than irrigation, the hydropower component of the Oyan Dam, initially designed to generate nine megawatts, will also be concessioned. However, talks are in place to activate the dam’s power potential to drive Nigeria’s energy needs.
Resilient to climate change
At the Association for Consulting Engineering in Nigeria’s (ACEN) Annual General Meeting, themed “Sustainable Development.
In his buoyant speech titled ‘Building Resilient Cities,’ Ashiru called on engineers to utilize green technologies and also climate adaptive designs to remedy Nigeria’s increasing environmental threats.
The ACEN President Kem-Selem Bukar agreed, also saying there was need to strengthen regulatory frameworks to help curb frequent building collapses which have threatened to bury engineering with poor image.
In Lagos, represented by special adviser Adekunle Olagoke, Governor Babajide Sanwo Olu reiterated the need for sustainable engineering practices to improve urban resilience. And to partner with the professional bodies to tackle the problem of climate change and with the attendant urbanization.
