Ministry seeks sources to bridge budget shortfall

Mrs Sarah Reng Ochekpe, Water Resources Minister said during her defence of the 2015 budget before the House of Representatives Water Committee that the ministry would consider legislations that would give legal backing to payment of water rates, strengthening the utility boards and water corporations to generate revenue and to complete ongoing projects instead of starting new projects in 2015.
She gave highlights of achievements recorded in 2014  based on the funds made available to the ministry and emphasised on the need to build more dams to meet the needs of the growing population, to conserve more water for irrigation farming, hydro power generation, domestic and Industrial uses.
She added that the ministry made impact on the Agricultural Transformation Agenda through the provision of water from dams for irrigation farming.
Mrs. Ochekpe, however, noted that water projects are capital intensive and therefore solicited the cooperation of the law makers as they explore other sources of funding to enable the ministry carry out its mandate.
Earlier, Chairman, House Committee on Water, Aliyu Patigi decried the insufficient budget appropriated to Federal Ministry of Water Resources compared to that of 2014 noting that: “Water is the key source of livelihood hence the budget appropriated should be increased.”
He noted that the ministry needed sufficient funds to implements projects under its purview and called on the relevant authorities to further review the budget.