In response to recent floods that devastated local communities, the federal government has intensified efforts to ensure the safety and efficiency of dams across the country.
Officials from the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation disclosed this while inspecting the condition of the Owena Dam in Ondo State.
The Owena Dam was built to provide water to five local government areas in Ondob state,.
It has a storage capacity of 36 million cubic metres, but the dam has never been utilised since its completion.
Officials from the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation visited to examine the dam to prevent a repeat of the flood that ravaged Maiduguri.
The Director of Dams and Reservoir Operations, Ali Ibrahim Dalla the team on a fact-finding mission.
He expressed disappointment that the dam has not been utilised since its establishment.
Speaking to journalists after an on-the-spot assessment of the Owena Dam, Dalla said the committee’s visit was based on President Bola Tinubu’s directive to ascertain the dam’s health status
He urged the state government to undertake the reticulation of the dam to ensure water reaches the benefiting communities.
The team remains optimistic that these recommendations will be implemented promptly to make the Owena Dam functional.
