Abuja: The Nigeria Integrated Water Resources Management Commission (NIWRMC) has formed a strategic partnership with the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) to ensure NGSA’s technical outputs directly support NIWRMC’s regulatory functions. In a statement by the Head, Press and Public Relations, Fatima Yusuf, on Wednesday in Abuja, the Executive Director of NIWRMC, Dr Abdulmumini Aminu-Zaria, disclosed this when he paid a courtesy visit to the Director-General of NGSA.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Aminu-Zaria stated that the partnership aims to combine NGSA’s assessment of geogenic contaminants with NIWRMC’s monitoring to create a comprehensive water quality surveillance system. He emphasized the need for establishing data sharing protocols and interoperable databases to link hydrological, geological, and regulatory information, providing geotechnical and hydrological assessments to guide NIWRMC’s regulatory decisions on water infrastructure.
Aminu-Zaria also highlighted the importance of collaboratively monitoring and mapping geological hazards to inform and strengthen regulatory plans for flood and drought management. He proposed launching joint pilot projects in selected catchments to conduct groundwater assessments and urban water sustainability studies.
The Executive Director called for both organizations to conduct joint training and establish a technical working group to build capacity in integrated water geology management. Additionally, he solicited the formalization of the partnership through a memorandum of understanding and a joint technical committee.