The Federal Government has warned Nigerians to be mindful of the kind of water they drink to avoid further outbreaks of waterborne and communicable diseases in the country.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, who gave this warning during a news conference in Abuja, explained that most water might have been contaminated by the effects of flooding.
Prof Utsev, who sympathised with the government and people of Borno State over the menace of the recent flood incident, which has affected millions of Nigerians, added that a technical team from the ministry and other agencies were already on the ground to assess and proffer lasting solutions to the effects.
“It should be noted however, that as we try to recover from this disaster, the water we drink may be contaminated, we should please be mindful of this to avoid further outbreaks of waterborne and communicable diseases” the Minister emphasized
Speaking on the Alau dam, Borno State, the Minister debunked the news making headlines in most dailies, saying it has not collapsed.
He added that the flood disaster that affected Maiduguri and Jere areas of Borno State was largely due to overflow of water from Alau Dam, which is about 10 kilometres from Maiduguri city centre owing to massive inflow from Ngadda river, a major tributary of River Yedzaram.
