World rivers day: fG task communities on river pollution

In order to to restore life back to the rivers, the federal government yesterday, urges communities nation-wide to stop all forms of river pollution.
It said one of the ways to achieve this is to stop dumping refuse into the river, stop open defecation into the river and the discharge of sewage into the river.
Other mean, it further noted is to stop the discharge of untreated effluents in the river, the discharge of mine waste and building on water ways.
The Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Hussein Adamu, gave the charge in Benin City, yesterday, during the 2021 World Rivers Day Celebration with the them: “Water Ways In Our Communities”.
Representative by the Managing Director, Benin-Owina River Basin Development Authority, Saliu Osifuemhe Ahmed, Adamu said the world rivers day is set aside by the United Nations (UN) to celebrate the world’s waterways or river system “in order to highlight the many values of our rivers and increase awareness around rivers, thereby promoting improved stewardship of all rivers around the world”.
He said the theme of this year’s celebration, ” Waterways in our communities”, was in recognition of of the incredible natural, cultural and recreational values of rivers and streams as well as the extent to which they have added to the quality of life.
“The celebration is intended to draw awareness to the world’s rivers that are in degraded states and are facing increasing pressures associate with pollution, industrial development, urbanisation and climate change mostly due to human activities”, the Water Resources Minister, stated.
In his remarks, the Managing Director, Benin-Owina River Basin Development Authority, Saliu Ahmed said this year’s World Water Day is celebrated simultaneously at the federal and state levels with special focus on creating public awareness on the importance of rivers, rivers clean-ups, rivers restoration, protection and conservation.
The ceremony in Edo took place at the bank of Ikpoba River, Benin City with the symbolic river clean-ups; memorial tree planting to mark the maiden celebration, and cultural display beside the river.
Commenting further, the Benin-Owina River Basin Authority boss, remarked that the “river-side celebration by stakeholder is to symbolise that water is life and the need to protect the source:  the river.”
He said the importance of rivers in community existence is to ensure it is cleaned, adding that “anytime you drink a bottle of water and you don’t disposed it properly, it ends up in the river thus, endangering the existence of those living down stream of the river”.