Nigerian Army can now drink portable water after 40 years

sky news africa Nigerian Army can now drink portable water after 40 years

NIGERIA

The Nigerian Army under the 3 division province, “Maxwell Khobe Cantonment” in Jos north central Nigeria, has commissioned a multipurpose dam and water treatment plant, aimed at providing good drinkable water which has eluded the barracks and its environs for the past 40 years, says the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai.

Speaking at the commissioning of the water dam, Buratai who was represented by the Nigerian Army Chief of Training and Operations, Maj. Gen. Enobong Udoh, said the dam has tributaries through which water flows and will facilitate dry season farming undertaken by families and adjoining communities.

“This dam will empower our families economically and improves food security. In the same vein, it is in line with Mr. President’s vision which is to eat what we produce and produce what we eat”, he said.

Earlier, the General Officer Commanding, 3div Nigerian Army, Maj Gen. Nuhu Angbazo, said for over four decades the cantonment has experienced a perennial problem of lack of portable water supply.

Angbazo said troops and their families resorted to digging wells, sinking boreholes as well as walking long distance to fetch water from the streams.

“The erstwhile dam that was constructed in the Cantonment had collapsed and was in a gross state of disuse. This development gave me a lot of concern on assumption of duty as the General Officer Commanding.

“The dam has the capacity to hold 540,000 cubic liters of water, while the water treatment plant has the capacity to treat 1 million liters of water per day.

This multipurpose dam will not only supply potable water to barracks’ residents, it will also serve our host communities as one of our numerous Corporate Social Responsibility”, Angbazo said.

On his part, the State Governor, Simon Lalong, said the dry season farming will be sustained and more inclusive, as it is integrated into the Army Barracks Investment Initiative Programme.

“In the same vain the dam can be used in the future to generate electricity. The pressure of the water during rainy season has the potential of producing energy that can be converted to produce electricity”, Lalong said. 

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