Expert urges FG to build water plant in rural areas

The Federal Government has been urged to build water treatment plants in perennial rivers in rural areas to avert water borne diseases.

Dr Samuel Ibrahim, a senior lecturer in Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, made the call on Thursday in Lapai in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Ibrahim, an expert in domestic water resources, Department of Geography and Regional Planning said that such treatment plant would be able to solve water problem among the rural dwellers.

“Rural dwellers are more vulnerable to epidemics because of poor quality of water at their disposal, “he said.

He explained that the water treatment plant would be veritable if built close to perennial rivers as a preventive measure against water borne diseases.

According to him, the bulk of the food comes from the rural areas and the water they are living on most time is contaminated by animals in the cause of grazing around such rivers.

“some of the local foods (fura de nunu) the rural women bring to the city are sometimes contaminated by use of infected water from rivers already contaminated by animals’ dung,” he said.

Ibrahim said that as a result of poor water quality, a lot of diseases can also be transported from the rural areas to the cities.