The Nation Newspaper

Tag: water

  • Okonjo-Iweala’s Ogwashi-Uku kinsmen bemoan lack of water, power

    Okonjo-Iweala’s Ogwashi-Uku kinsmen bemoan lack of water, power

    Despite over a century of unbroken existence as provincial headquarter, Ogwashi-Uku, headquarter of Aniocha South Local Government Area, has little to show for its status.

    Ogwashi-Uku, the birthplace of Minister for Finance Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has grappled with total darkness and a lack of potable water for its inhabitants in the last seven years.

    When the Federal Government in 2003 commenced work on a dam, Ogwashi-Uku residents heaved a sigh of relief, but that hope has since been dashed following the abandonment of the dam10 years after construction started.

    As if to add insult to injury, the Ubu River – the only source of water to residents – has  become polluted due to the activities of the contractors at the dam, raising fears of an imminent epidemic.

    The Ubu River, which traverses many communities, used to be a fast-flowing river, but has become stagnant and polluted. The river at a point on the Asaba-Ughelli is threatening to wash off the road under construction due to the build-up of water up-stream.

    The Iyase of Ogwashi-Uku, Dr Collins Afunwa, who spoke to Niger Delta Report in Ogwashi-Uku, urged the Federal Government to complete the dam to forestall an impending health calamity.

    He confirmed that the only water source in the community has become polluted owing to the construction work at the dam site. He lamented the non-completion of the Ogwashi-Uku Dam  after over a decade after.

    He said the abandoned water dam is negatively affecting the wellbeing of residents, adding that residents are forced to buy water from commercial water vendors at exorbitant costs.

    He blamed the pollution of the Ubu River on the blockade of the river channel to the copper dams used to restrict the flow of water during construction work at the dam, which has been left unopened.

    Of the four copper dam constructed down-stream, only one is evacuating water- a situation that may be responsible the restricted flow and attendant water build-up  up-steam.

    Aside the non-completion of the dam, our findings revealed that another major factor militating against the completion is the uncompleted power substation attached to the dam.

    Dr Afunwa expressed doubt over the completion of the project, adding the current state of the dam has made it impossible for the people of the community to have access to the Ubu stream.

    He predicted that the Ogwashi-Uku people would endure more hardship during the dry season owing to the uncompleted dam.

    On efforts the community is making to ensure that work resumes, Afunwa appealed to Dr Okonjo-Iweala to help fast track the completion of the dam, as the community has exhausted all means available to get work to resume on the dam site.

    His words: ‘We understood that the Minister for Finance, who hails from this town, is handling the dam project. So, we have no committee in place that is liaising with government on the dam. We are hoping that the Minister for Finance will use this opportunity to show she hails from this town. I believe strongly that that project has been abandoned.”

    A resident, Alphonsus Onianwa, said without potable water supply, he has had to build a concrete pond to store water purchased from commercial water dealer at great cost.

    His words: “We have continued to suffer as we have suffered since the past seven years. Many residents fetch water from the streams around while the rich buy water from tankers who get water from boreholes.

    “It is cheaper to buy from commercial water tankers who fetch from the polluted Ubu River as it sells for N5000, while commercial tankers who fetch from borehole sell theirs for N7500.For an average family, this  stock of water will last only two weeks and as a civil servant you will agree with me that this is expensive.”

    Afunwa wondered why the privatisation efforts of the Federal Government have failed to yield the expected dividend for which it was handed to private investors.

    He said: “It is indeed sad that despite the purported privatisation of the PHCN things have not changed Besides one is compelled to wonder why the investors of the electricity company are not in a hurry to put things in order so that they can start making profits from their investments.  One would have expected they will be in a hurry to do the needful so that they can start making profits, but that is not the case. The whole thing looks suspicious.”

    Continuing: “We have done everything humanely possible to ensure that we have electricity in the last seven years and nothing is happening about light. For more than seven years we have never had light and it has been like that and nobody is thinking about getting us light. As far as light is concerned Ogwashi-Uku is not sure of getting light in the next two years, unless government comes to our aid.”

     

  • The joy of water

    The joy of water

    It might not mean much to those who have it in abundance but to Ugbele residents in Imo State, seeing water for the first time was enough to celebrate. OKODILI NDIDI reports

    Can anyone be happier than a people with a problem solved? In Ugbele, a community in Ideato South Local Government Area of Imo State, residents jumped for joy, sang and danced as their first water borehole was inaugurated. Their traditional rulers, in full regalia, were present to see taps run for the first time in their community.

    Decades of thirst and torture had come to an end.

    Before the commissioning of the project, which was single-handedly built and donated to the community by the Uzotex Foundation, funded by a renowned philanthropist, Mr. Festus Mbisiogu, Ugbele residents walked over 3km to fetch water from the Orashi River.

    Apart from the fact that the water from the river was not safe for drinking and other domestic purposes, the youths who normally go to the river contended with the risk of climbing the hill through a narrow pathway that has been devastated by gully erosion.

    For several decades, this community with a population over 3000, waited endlessly for government intervention, which never came until their plight, caught the attention of the China based businessman, who had already provided water in 17 other communities in the Council Area.

    The traditional ruler of Ugbele community, Eze Richard Okoro, who witnessed the commissioning alongside other monarchs from neighboring communities, described the project as a “huge relief”.

    He said that, “life is difficult without water and we had to live with this challenge for decades without hope at sight. It is even more difficult for the elderly, who can no longer walk the over three kilometers to the Orashi River or climb the hill. But now with this water borehole in place, our people can now have access to water at any time of the day.

    “We are grateful to Uzotex Foundation for what they have done and as the traditional ruler of Ugbele community I am most grateful and happy that this historic event happened during my time. We are also appealing to other illustrious sons of the LGA to join hands and develop the communities because the government alone cannot it.”

    Speaking at the event, Mbisiogu (the donor), said that he initiated the programme to provide water for all the communities in Ideato South and North Council Areas of the state, after considering the plight they go through on daily basis just to get water.

    “The idea,” he said, “started during the burial ceremony of my late mother, when the water tanker that was paid to supply water broke down on the way and all the people that came to visit me where stranded because there was no water and we had to go the three kilometers to fetch water from the river. It was a difficult task and after then I told myself that this must end and that was how the whole idea started”.

    He also added that, “after I got the insight that God wanted to use me to provide water for the people, I didn’t hesitate because it is proper to support the state government. This project is my way of contributing to the development of the state and it is also a call on other successful individuals to join hands and develop the communities. The essence is to stop the sufferings of our people”.

    Charging the beneficiaries to ensure adequate maintenance of the borehole, Mbisiogu, disclosed that an average of N2 million was spent on each of the 18 boreholes, outside the cost of the generating sets provided to ensure constant power supply.

    Octogenarians, majority of them, women who leaned on their walking sticks, danced and prayed for the donor, as water gushed out of the taps for the first time in the history of the community. Young men and women were not left out as they struggled to be the first to fetch from the borehole.

     

  • Weaving water weeds into handicrafts

    Weaving water weeds into handicrafts

    Women are increasingly playing significant roles in transforming the economy and helping in poverty reduction. One of them is Achenyo Idachaba, Founder and Creative Director, MitiMeth,who is using water weeds to create handicrafts. DANIEL ESSIET writes.

    ater hyacinth is considered one of the most notorious aquatic weeds. It proliferates rapidly in lakes, dams and irrigation channels and chokes them. But an entrepreneur, Achenyo Idachaba, Founder and Creative Director, MitiMeth,an Ibadan based  social enterprise,  has  now shown that the infamous weed can be used to make handicrafts.

    Though a bane, to Idachaba,  it is  a business  opportunity as she  is   cashing in on its fiber. Setting up shop in Ibadan, she began harvesting the water hyacinth and transforming the product into intricately handcrafted everyday items. Idachaba is  showcasing locally produced arts and crafts made  from water hyacinth. The  patronage she is getting   from people has been overwhelming. Everybody is amazed by the quality and strength of the materials, and beauty of the products from which she gets trade inquiries.

    She   upcycles water hyacinth into aesthetic handicrafts,including  home décor and personal accessories.

    By using invasive species, she encourages local artisans to create hand-made products.

    For example, women and youths are trained to produce marketable objects from the water hyacinth.   This gives them the opportunity to earn decent wages and enjoy consistent employment. Before she    started  the  project, she was in a great dilemma and uncertain about the success and acceptability of such experiments.

    Today, she is happy that within four years of  the project, she  has been able  to  train many  artisans. The  project covers many  skilled and expert artisans in the different  areas of the  country.

    Not only  that , she  has  gotten  the    opportunity  to   develop  and promote  an innovative eco-friendly handicraft,  using the abundant water hyacinth and   transformed  the lives of the rural poor, and at the same time turning  the water hyacinth from being merely a wild water-weed to ‘pearl of  water.

    The craft is highly flexible as there is no fixed time for the artisans to make their products. It is also less cumbersome than other work available in villages, such as  as farm labour. Further, artisans need not come out of their house in search of jobs.

    These are some of the reasons behind this craft receiving such prompt and wide acceptance among the rural women. She   has also introduced the district ‘mentor’ scheme to help the artisans, regularly visit them, guide them to improve the quality of their products and finally collect their products for sale.

    Right now, the irregular supply of cane and the high cost of  bamboo crafts has  led to search for options for easily available raw-materials such  as water hyacinth which could enable a sustainable  option for rural artisans in these crafts. The water hyacinth craft has gained popularity, as it requires minimal effort to produce the dried stems needed for making eco-friendly products for both regular use and decorative purposes including bags, hats, basketry, slippers, mats, lamp-shed, and ornaments among others.

    But  how much  is MitiMeth worth? She said the enterprise  is   still a small business. She  has  eight employees. Idachaba  has been  a recipient of a few grant awards and prizes , including  YouWIN! Women, Standard Chartered Bank’s Dragon’s Den and the 2014 Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards.

    The awards have encouraged her  to grow her  workforce as well as purchase equipment and other raw materials. It has also helped the  organisation  engage in research and development and embark on field work. Were there times  things didn’t go the way she  wanted as  an  entrepreneur? “Absolutely and as an entrepreneur one should expect that to happen. but I have always believed that if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, and try again,” she said, adding that as an entrepreneur, there is a need for a backup or contingency plan in case the original plan does not work out well.” I started off as an entrepreneur in the services industry doing some consulting in the environmental area.”

    Idachaba worked on some great waste management projects but the opportunities to do such consulting were irregular. It was that experience that helped prepare her for her pet project- MitiMeth, making eco-friendly products. MitiMeth, she further revealed, is a tangible expression of the message she had been preaching on waste recovery and its utilisation.

    On the  whole, she loves the social and economic impact created by  her  organisation’s  water hyacinth handicrafts solution. “I love  it  because it is a “hands-on” approach. I love being able to help people see water hyacinth in a different light through awareness creation and capacity building. I love the fact that I am not boxed in a corner and I am able to try out different things, leverage my corporate experience and be creative at the same time,” she submitted.

    Born in the United States of America, she spent her early years between Nigeria and the US. Today,  Idachaba has built a thriving career as a computer scientist and business analyst.

    A graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife where she obtained a B.Sc in Computer Science and Economics. Idachaba also has an M.Sc in Applied Computer Science from Illinois State University and worked as an IT Programme Analyst for a few years before getting an M.B.A from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

    Prior to establishing MitiMeth,  Idachaba worked for ExxonMobil in the United States, where she held a variety of Regional and Global Advisor positions. In 2009, relocated to Nigeria, precisely Ibadan, where she set up an environmental consulting business, to start a new chapter in her life as a social entrepreneur.

    MitiMeth was coined from the phrase Mitigating Methane, a name she got when the idea of utilising aquatic weeds for beneficial use came to her. “I was doing a bit of research on opportunity areas for mitigating methane emissions (a potent greenhouse gas) into the atmosphere. My aquatic weed of interest (water hyacinth) also happened to be rich in methane content due to its organic nature,” she explained.

     

     

  • Dirt in your water tank

    The water tank is that part of the housing complex that we may hardly think of inspecting.  We do need to inspect it every now and then.  If the tank is open or not closed off completely, dust settles inside, dissolves in the water and adds to sediments.  Animals always get to where we don’t want them and the water tank is a special attraction for them as water is essential to life and animals love life.  Sometimes they get drowned in water including in the water tank or they simply age and die there and then they rot and then bacteria feed on them and fungi and algae  all the littler creation invade.  And all the time we are drinking and bathing from the water supplied by the water tank.

    If the tank is a ground tank and low enough and open enough and you have little children around, you can be sure they must have dipped their dirty hands inside or chucked something inside at some stage. If the tank is overhead and open, you can never be sure a lizard or bird did not visit or even deposit something there.  Perhaps even a bat passes by; God forbid ebola again!

    Forget the kids and animals, even the bad guy who loses an argument with you or just doesn’t appreciate your good life can get back by spitting inside or leaving something worse there for you  thinking that serves you right.  Nowadays, rich people build a dedicated tower for just the water tank.  It cannot be casually reached and it also stands aside by the house, too conspicuous for mischief.  Others place the tank somewhere in a dedicated enclosure on their roof and only members of the household can generally access it. Then there is the underground tank that not only needs security but also has to be well built so that it is not breached and contaminated by ground matter.

    Your water tank can be a source of ailments for the household therefore you need to keep it well and protect it. If you open the tank and it smells, you definitely need to clean it.  Smell is associated with death of plant and animal matter and putrefaction.  The water from a smelly tank carries death.  Cleaning of that tank is an emergency matter.

    If the tank is not smelly, take a look inside your tank to see what kind of sediments you may have there.  Some kinds of sediment can be left alone undisturbed because the water flows over and does not carry materials from the sediment.  However, generally you should try to clean out the sediments for assurance double sure.  You may detect some wriggly creatures in the sediments. They get there like a miracle.

    In my former home, we shared two overhead tanks between three homes. One day the plumber came to clean the tanks. When he finished, I went to see what was happening. The ground beneath was covered with green and black debris. There had been a lot of algae and dirt in the tank. I asked how he managed to get it all out.  He told me he climbed into the tank. I told him that he had left some contamination inside the tank. He was reassuring me that with his rubber boots and overall, it was OK for him to have climbed into the tank. My biologic mind was in total disagreement so I got two large gallons of bleach and asked him to pour all the bleach inside the water. After many hours, we ran off the water with added bleach and replaced it with fresh water.

    Some time ago, as a new tenant, in my present home, I inspected the roof water tank of the newly built house. The bottom had a sediment of brown soil and tiny black wriggly creatures that made me cringe. The tank was taller than me so I did not attempt to clean it myself. I got a cleaner to clean the tank. To my horror, he embarked on climbing inside. “Madam,that is how we clean it”.  I inspected his toe nails and decided he wasn’t going scuba diving inside my tank. He also had some blisters on his skin.   There has to be a more hygienic way.

    We embarked on preparing our own gear. We got a brand new brush and brand new mops and tied extra length handles on them.  New and clean buckets tied to clean ropes were used as a scoop and as a mop bucket to be placed inside the tank. We removed the lid on top of the big round tank. After running off all the water that could pass out through the lowest outlet pipe, we scooped much of the remaining water out and mopped out the rest.  It was a lengthy labor. Then we used soap and bleach to wash inside the wall and bottom of the tank using the long brush and mop.  Drying the inside took continual mopping but I was happy with the outcome knowing we did not replace dirt with dirt.  My neighbor later had his tank cleaned by getting a plumber to dismantle it so that the inside would be better accessible for cleaning. However the reinstalling process can introduce new contamination into the cleaned tank. Next we will look at some tips from professionals.

     

    Dr. ‘Bola John is a biomedical scientist based in Nigeria and in the USA.   For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 08160944635

  • Domestic water purifier system

    IN some parts of the world, water is not a problem that people think about.  I remember when I first went to work in Chicago in a lab as a post-doctoral fellow in 1998, my supervisor left the tap running every now and then and, coming from Nigeria, for me it was economic to close the tap any time I saw it running.  He was patient at first but in due time it got on his nerves.  Soon enough, I became a competent scientist running water myself to clear some toxin or as part of some other procedure.    Lab or home, water is something we should have in abundance.

    “Safe drinking water and basic sanitation are intrinsic to human survival, well-being and dignity”,UN Secretary-General, Ban-Ki Moon.

    We use water daily to bath, to cook, to wash, and we drink water too. Depending on our main water source we may need various levels of purification. Some people want to purify just the drinking water while some want to purify all the water used for bathing and cooking.   Some people are happy just boiling and don’t bother to filter.

    Fortunately, there is good industry around water purification and we have many choices of solutions in the market that we can purchase depending on the costs and effectiveness.

    For many professionals and city dwellers, old-fashioned purification by boiling or alum, etc., is too time-consuming and inconvenient for the high demand of pure water for modern day busy life. The water heaters, washing machines, dish washers, and jacuzzis, of modern homes require clean water.  We need fast and efficient purification systems.

    Perhaps the most important water to purify is drinking water. Chemicals, bacteria, and other contaminants in the water can make it harmful to health. Water filters eliminate chemicals, bacteria, rust and other pollutants from water. The simplest filters include the faucet or tap filter that is attached to the tap, for example, in the kitchen.  It filters water coming out of the tap. The rest of the house may have impure water.  Thus, from one tap,  one can have clean water for drinking, washing fruits and vegetables, and for safely preparing salads and foods that do not need cooking before eating. Depending on how much it is used, the faucet filter should be replaced after some time according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

    A more durable filter is the under-the-sink filter.  This needs some plumbing work for its installation as it is attached to the pipe supplying a tap such as a kitchen tap or a bathroom tap.  In the bathroom, the water from the hand basin tap is used for brushing the teeth, gargling, and even for drinking, taking medication,and midnight snacks, and therefore should be purified. A faucet filter or an under-the-sink filter may be installed. Alternatively, have a bottle of retailed pure water handy at the hand basin. Under-the-sink tap is very useful in the kitchen and one can do any kind of culinary chore hygienically without being stingy with water.

    If you are not able to be so liberal and want to purify only a small daily supply for drinking or  for some limited use for washing foods or baby supplies, Unilever Pure model, for example, has a filter and storage capacity of about 9 liters and a dispensing tap.

    Many people in developing countries, where there is lack of good public supply of purified water, would appreciate a whole-house water filter.  This is especially helpful for middle class to rich  people who are also busy people; for example with young children to care for, with busy or ambitious work schedules, who like to eat home cooking, or who just don’t like hassle.  The whole-house water purifier may need professional expertise for correct installation.  It is connected to the main waterline supplying the home to filter all the supply coming to the home taps and fixtures.

    People choose particular filters for various reasons.  The performance is important.A reliable system will remove chemicals including chlorine, lead, asbestos, mercury, and,of course, bacteria and other microbes.  Additional features such as adjustability to your plumbing system, ability to filter hot and cold water, a filter-change indicator that indicates when you should change the dirty filter, and durability also determine choice of water filters.

     

    Dr. ‘Bola John is a biomedical scientist based in Nigeria and in the USA.   For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 08160944635

  • Sources of water in our diet

    While much of the world is covered with water in its solid form (snow) much of West Africa becomes dry and dusty as the Harmattan sweeps southwards from the Sahara towards the end of the year.  Each day, the coolness of the morning is replaced by intense heat by midday and the people’s sweat flow.

    Under this tropical condition it is good to think about what one eats or drinks in order to ensure one is replacing fluid and not getting dehydrated.Apart from tap and bottled water, we gain water from fluids such soft drinks, tea, coffee, milk, and fruit juices. There is also water in food.

    Walking through the streets of Lagos, one sees fruit vendors.  Fruits are typical street snacks in this environment.  They contain a lot of water plus valuable calories and vitamins.  The oranges are professionally peeled.  The artistic presentation befits the table of a five star hotel dining room but somehow in the dusty, rowdy streets, their beauty is irrelevant and the buyer just desperately squeezes and sucks till only the white skin remains and is chucked into the gutter back into the ecosytem.

    The abokis seem to specialize in wheelbarrow trade fairs.  A bunch of them at almost every available corner present peeled pawpaws, water melons, and pine apples, all very bright, all very watery.  How hygienic are the slices?  That is left for the buyer to worry about if he wants to. Some say, “Deti no de kill Africa man.”

    The abokis also have garden eggs, cucumbers, and carrots in their wheel barrows  all very interesting, nutritious, and watery snacks.  And while you are looking at the aboki wheelbarrow the ice cream vendor just about scrapes pass you and catches your attention.  Yeah, that’s a better snack under the intense sun. It is ice cold and watery and, if you are tired, you also consider the extra calories.  There, in that insulated compartment on a bicycle, you have frozen yogurt, frozen fruit juice, and ice cream  all with a variety of flavours.   As you consider the iced choices, a cry reaches your ears: “puorwortaaaah!” You turn and there she is: an elegant stature with spinal ingenuity balancing a heavy basin on her head.  The basin is full of bottles of pre-cooled pure water and soft drinks.  You realize she meant “pure” water and not “poor” water.  The water does look refreshing; the bottles are sweating and inviting.  This is even cheaper than fruits and ice cream.

    Thus whether from the stationary abokis or the mobile cycling vendors or the walkabout traders, there is plenty of watery snacks in the streets of Lagos to beat the intense heat and sweating during the harmattan, for people with little or more money.

    In our homes and offices we have drinking water or are supposed to have drinking water.  If there is electricity and the pump works and the tank is filled and the water is purified, we can live.

    Drinking water comes from ground water through bore holes; surface water supplied by rivers, streams, and lakes; sea water; and water recycled from waste water.  Water from all these sources has to be purified for safe drinking.  For example, deep ground water may contain more than body requirements of iron and manganese and toxic radium.  Surface water may contain minute pieces of organic solids and humic acid (which is produced by biodegradation of dead organic matter).Whatever the water source, certain processes may be necessary to transform the water into drinking quality.Purified drinking water is sold in sachets, bottles, and portable tanks.  Always make sure you buy government regulated products.

    Food is digested into water and nutrients that are absorbed.  About 20% of our water consumption is from food.  The rest of our water is from water and fluids ingested.  Common fluids that provide water have advantages and disadvantages. Milk is close to total nutrition. It contains protein, B vitamins and calcium in addition to water. If you are sensitive to saturated fat, choose semi-skimmed (less than 2% fat) or skimmed (1% fat) milk. Fruit juices and smoothies contain vitamins, minerals, and natural plant substances in addition to water. Smoothies may also contain fibre. The sugar and acid content of juices, smoothies,and soft drinks can potentially harm teeth on a long term basis if care is not taken.  The sugar content can add to weight gain. Alcoholic drinks such as beers and ciders also provide water but one should keep alcohol consumption within the recommended limits (less than 2-3 units per day for women and less than 3-4 units per day for men).Wines and spirits are not a good source of water and like all alcoholic drinks, even increase the amount of water lost in urine.

    If large amounts of plain water are consumed in a short period of time and the kidneys fail to excrete fluid at the necessary rate, there will be too much water in the body.  Drinking too much water can cause hyponatraemia or water intoxication leading to a dangerously low level of sodium in the blood.(The Latin word for sodium is “natrium” and “hypo” means “below” or “less than normal” in Greek; I guess important diseases tend to use two languages.) Sodium is important for generation of normal nerve impulses and muscle contractions.  Hyponatraemiais a rare condition.  It can lead to headaches, blurred vision, cramps, convulsions, swelling of the brain, coma, and possibly death. For water to reach such toxic levels, one would have to consume too much in a short period. Hyponatraemia is more likely in people with particular diseases, endurance athletes who misgauge their consumption, and in infants fed on over-diluted infant formula (Mama, don’t be cheap!).

    Dr. ‘Bola John is a biomedical scientist based in Nigeria and in the USA.   For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 08160944635

  • Functions of water in the human body

    Water is so important for the body that we get a signal when it is lacking. We feel thirsty. Older adults often lose the ability to sense thirst.

    Water is the medium in which the body components exist and function. Body water content is higher in men than in women and falls with age. The body does not store water and we need fresh supplies continually.

    Every body function depends on water, and you can live only a few days without it. The body’s weight is 55-75% water. Water makes up about 83% of blood, 73% of muscles, 90% of the lungs, 70% of the brain, 25 % of body fat, and 22% of bones.

    Water is a transporter.  It transports chemicals, nutrients, waste, gases such as oxygen, and heat throughoutthe body.  It is a regulator, regulating heat; the concentrations of chemicals and cells; and functions in different parts of the body.  It is the mediumin which chemical reactions that constitute physical life processes take place within the body.Every body function requires water and the human body cannot survive more than a few days without water.  If you are fasting for religious or other reasons, try to drink at least some water.

    Water isa protector that relates body compositionsand function, actsas a lubricant in the joins and other parts andcushions delicate organs such as thebrain and spinal cord, the eyes, as well as the fetus. It moistensandprotects theskin and mucous membraneswhich are areas where the environment can harmthe body.

    To control body temperature by losing heat, the body excretes sweat which is mostly water. Without water therefore, the body can overheat.

    The kidneys remove metabolic wastes from the body. These wastes are converted to chemical forms that dissolve in water forming urine.  Lack of water consumption limits this kidney function and toxic waste may accumulate in the body. If a person lacks water the kidney limits the amount of water excreted in the urine and the urine is more concentrated appearing a deeper yellow.   (Some dietary components such as riboflavin, a B vitamin in multivitamin products may also change urine colorto deep yellow).   If you are passing little urine, or dark urine, or urinatingless frequently, thesemaybesigns that you need to drink more water.

    Drinking water instead of drinks with sugar can help to avoid weight gain or give room for weight loss.  Weight losers can also take more water with meals to enhance satiation and to lower capacity for food consumption. However too much water may dilute gastric juice and weaken its effect in digestion.   Excess water drinking should be avoided in people with kidney disease, heart problems, high blood pressure, and swelling of the lower legs. Drinking water is advantageous over drinking fluids that cause teeth coloration and teeth decay.

    During sports and exercises, water helps to transport nutrients and energy to the brain, muscles, lungs and hearts; to distribute heat; and to remove heat and waste from body tissues through sweating. Sports drinks with added nutrients such as salts enhance the functions of water.   The urine becomes dilute and pale yellow if one is drinking too much water. To be continued.

     

    Dr. ‘Bola John is a biomedical scientist based in Nigeria and in the USA.   For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 08160944635

  • Lagos Water Corporation pensioners lament non-payment of benefits

    Lagos Water Corporation pensioners lament non-payment of benefits

    Retirees of the Lagos State Water Corporation have cried out over the non-payment of their several benefits amounting to about N1 billion that is owed them since 2010 by the corporation under the leadership of Mr. Shayo Holloway.

    The retirees, numbering about 150, have been demanding payment of the benefits since a few years ago. They have now drawn the battle line with the corporation and have petitioned the Governor Babatunde Fashola, stating that the management plotted them out of all forms of benefits, which amounted to about N1 billion as at 2013.

    The Chairman, Association of Retirees, Lagos State Water Corporation, Mr. Leo Onayemi, who made this known in Lagos, said the amount, which includes bonds and other emoluments started accumulating since 2010.

    “There is this lump sum that has been there since 2010 and as at 2013, it amounted to about N1 billion and we have been doing everything to get the attention of the group managing director but it has not been successful,” he said.

    He alleged that the management of Water Corporation had failed to maintain the life insurance policy in favour of the employees for a minimum of three times the annual total emolument of the employees as enshrined in Section 15 of the Lagos State Pension Reform Law.

    He said: “It is glaring that the Group Managing Director (GMD) of Lagos Water Corporation has no regard for the Lagos State Pension Reform Law. He has dismissed the law with impunity. He has refused to budget for all the staff of the corporation on a yearly basis as regards staff bonds, insurance, taxes, among others, which naturally would have been approved by the Lagos State Government under the leadership of Babatunde Fashola, who has never defaulted in paying as at when due, the retirees that are directly under the state government.”

    He also alleged that the GMD had resorted to reengaging some retired management staff of the corporation as a ploy to scuttle any form of collective agitation by the embittered members of the association.

    “We all say ‘No’ to this reengagement, especially that of the management team. The GMD should allow the young ones to grow in the system and contribute their own quota to the development of the corporation,” he added.

    On the way forward, Onayemi recommended that a dedicated or consolidated fund should be created and managed by a special committee to ensure funds for the corporation workers yearly; direct deduction from statutory allocation or subvention due to the corporation; using the corporation’s Group Account Revenue to offset all the backlogs of entitlements of the retirees in payments of their bonds, insurance and five per cent redemption fund to the relevant authority as at when due including paying the pension deductions of staff to the appropriate Pension Fund Administrator.

    Responding to the petition, the governor, through the Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mr. Ben Akabueze, said he would look into it and other grievances of the corporation.

    He stressed that the corporation’s problem was peculiar because it did not fall in the same group with other organisations, which enjoy full retirement benefits.

    Lagos State has been well disposed to regular payment of benefits to all its retirees across board. Recently, Fashola disclosed that the Contributory Pension Scheme had imposed a huge financial burden on the state’s finances.

    He said before the pension reform by the Federal Government in 2004, the state’s pensioners faced the risk of a life of penury due to the unfunded nature of the Pay as you Go Pension Scheme in the public service and the lack of provision of pension arrangement for employees in the private sector.

    He said: “The risk of the elderly not having financial independence and dying in poverty was real and to eradicate this risk, the Lagos State Government subscribed to the fully funded Contributory Pension Scheme.

    “It imposed on us a huge liability as we needed to pay of 7.5 per cent of basic salary, housing and transport allowances as monthly pension contribution; fund the Retirement Bond Redemption Fund Account with five per cent of employees monthly total emolument figure to provide for accrued pension rights, being entitlements for years spent in service before the commencement of the contributory pension scheme. We pay the annual premium to guarantee the life assurance cover as stipulated in the law and which is intended to provide a death benefit of at least three times the annual total emolument of each employee.”

     

  • More rice from less water

    Despite investments and other initiatives to boost rice production, Nigeria has continued to record low production of the staple food. According to experts, increased  production of rice can solve the food-deficit and save millions of dollars spent on importation. They have called for the promotion of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI ). DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    The world record-yield for paddy rice production is not held by an agricultural research station, or by a large-scale farmer from the United States (US), but by an  indian  farmer, Sumant Kumar, who has a farm of only two hectares in Darveshpura Village in the state of Bihar, Northern India.

    His record of 22.4 tonnes from one-acre plot was achieved with  System of Rice Intensification (SRI); a method of planting rice with less water. To put his achievement in perspective, the average paddy yield worldwide is about four tonnes per hectare. Even with fertiliser, average yields are usually not more than eight tonnes.

    Kumar’s success was not a fluke. Four of his neighbours, using SRI methods, all, for the first time, matched or exceeded the previous world record of 19 tonnes per hectare from China.  Moreover, they used only modest amounts of inorganic fertiliser and did not need chemical crop protection.

    Using SRI methods, small-holder- farmers in many countries are getting higher yields and greater productivity from their land, labour, seeds, water and capital, with their crops showing more resilience to the hazards of climate change.

    These productivity gains have been achieved simply by changing the ways farmers manage their plants, soil, water and nutrients. The effect is to get the crop to grow larger, healthier, longer-life root systems, accompanied by increases in the abundance, diversity and activity of soil organisms.

    In  Nigeria, an   accountant, Abdul Ganiu Ojolowo and other farmers,  have  taken part in trials of SRI,  which have been shown to increase rice production by more than double with fewer seeds and fertilisers. Ojolowo is a member of the Lagos State Commercial Agriculture Development Association (CADA), representing the Rice Value Chain.

    He is also the President of Rice for Job Common Interest  Group (CIG). He was cultivating a few   hectares of rice field using mostly manual labour with an average yield of about 0.8 – 1.0 tonne/hectare.

    However, with the intervention of CADP, and  further  training  on the new System of Rice Intensification, sponsored by the United  States Agency  for  International  Development (USAID, Ojolowo  has  seen   improved  rice  production.

    For farmers, like Ojolowo, SRI  has become attractive due to its greater profitability, compared to conventional methods. Conventional rice production, with its high reliance on purchased inputs, is less attractive because of low productivity and high production costs.

    The prices of inputs (improved seed, fuel, fertilisers and pesticides) have increased two to three folds over the last 10 to 15 years, and the increased production costs have eaten into the profit margins of rice cultivation.

    Through SRI methods, Ojolowo  gets three to four times profit than he used to get with the old methods. This is an incentive  for him.

    With water becoming an important cost, and with climate change and soil degradation, the National  Cereals  Research  Institute (NCRI), Niger State and  the  West African Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) are enthusiastic over SRI trials, which may be the answer to food insecurity.

    To the  Director of  Research, NCRI, Dr  Emmanuel Abo, if  SRI is adopted on a national scale, farmers can improve rice production with fewer seeds, fertilisers and very little water.

    With all the advantages it offers, experts  said SRI is simple, and can be done on local or hybrid varieties. Instead of waiting for the seedlings to mature, experts said  young plants of 8-10 days are transplanted one by one, allowing the roots to spread out further. They are also planted farther apart, at 20 cms, for the  seeds not to compete for food and light and thus reduces the amount of seeds required.

    The  downside of SRI, according  to experts, is that it is labour intensive; requiring more hands for weeding, timely drainage and careful planting. But the benefits in greater harvests, far outweigh the shortcomings. SRI, according to experts,  produces 150 quintaldings of rice per hectare from a land that yielded 20 to 30 quintals with the old method, using 35 per cent less water, 10 per cent of seed and 50 per cent less fertilisers.

    In  about 50 countries where the benefits of SRI have already been demonstrated, there has been a 30-50 per cent decrease in water use compared to growing the same varieties on similar soil under flooded conditions.

    This situation has encouraged experts and farmers to begin testing the SRI method.

    A few people initially took interest in SRI, but today, there is a growing number of farmers  coming forward to promote the method. Farmers’ initiatives in spreading the method are also expanding. The main attraction behind SRI is its suitability for a resource-poor country like Nigeria. Farmers find the SRI approach advantageous because of its greater productivity and higher profits due to lower requirements for seed, fertilisers, pesticides, and irrigation.

    In addition to saving water, SRI experts said, has helped to reduce soil and water pollution and conserve rice biodiversity for sustainable development. “Because  of this,  SRI is becoming seen as the best solution for its food-deficit problems and for enhancing food security in remote areas where modern inputs are costly and difficult to obtain,” they said.

    Farmers, they noted, are  voting  for  SRI  to   play a key role in bringing a green revolution to Nigeria.

    An SRI promoter and Wems Agro Limited, Chief Operating Officer,  Mr  Henry Bagena, whose   organisation is  acquiring 5400 hectares  in Akotogbo, Ondo State  for   rice production, said the beauty of SRI is its ability to be adopted by various countries, adding that his passion is to help Africa to grow crops sustainably with less inputs.

    “Africa has been told for many years that for the continent to grow crops, it has to add lots of inputs. This is a legitimate way to grow crops, but if you can get the same yields with less input, it is a winner for the country because the food is grown at a cheaper rate, and the country will have no reason to import fertilisers,” he said.

    SRI system, according to Bagena , cuts cost of inputs by 25 per cent and increases productivity by 30 per cent.

    “If you multiply those two, the financial benefits are enormous. We are proposing to marry two systems together by growing rice using SRI method and do a crop rotation between rice and legumes,” he said, adding: “The crop rotation will be two seasons of rice and two seasons of legumes. We will be growing legumes as green manure meaning that, we will grow and plough it back to get about 250 kilogrammes of nitrogen per annum from the legume crop.”

    The farm, Bagena said, is going to be  a centre of excellence in sustainable farming practices, which include  soil conservation, power generation and intermediate technology. “Akotogbo will become a focus for sustainability based on the demonstration farm for power generation that will be created within the farm settlement,” he said, noting that, the long-term goal of the company was to impact positively on the livelihoods of rice farmers.

    The Chairman of Wems Agro Companies, Rotimi Wemi-Akinsola, said Nigeria has a vast arable land and lots of water to plant rice.

    But, he regretted that the country does not produce up to 15 per cent of the 22.5 million bags of rice consumed in the country monthly.

    “Rice growing and consumption historically are based in South East Asia, where most of the world’s rice is grown.

    “The fast growing market is Sub – Saharan Africa (SSA) where rice production falls far below consumption and where the FAO forecasts that rice will be the largest staple food by 2030. Nigeria’s per capital consumption is estimated to be 78 kg per capital, giving a total consumption of 6.1m tones for 2014. Half of this, 3 million tones, are imported at N356 billion it is accepted a heavy burden on the Nigerian balance of payments, “ he said.

    Wemi-Akinsola noted that his company is investing in the rice project in Ondo State with the intention of taking advantage of the Nigerian market opportunity and help it become self sufficient and  help develop a profitable agricultural industry in the state.

    “There is no history of rice production in Ondo State. Although the weather and soil conditions are suitable, Wems Agro will be introducing rice production having found suitable available land.

    “This will bring employment and social benefit, introduce a new agricultural technology to the state, act as an economic centre and be profitable to all concerned,” he said.

    He disclosed that rice production will be based on a sustainable SRI methods, together with a two–year rotation, where rice is grown twice in a year and this will be followed by one year of a green manure fertility building crop.

    “Six hundred hectares will be cultivated in 2015, this relatively small area will ensure Wems Agro establish best work practices. A rain fed system will be used in years 2015 – 17 followed by the introduction of irrigation in 2018 to allow for two crops per year,”he said.

    He added that the initial project has a target of 5400 hectares in rice production, cropped twice a year, with a further 5,400 hectares in the fertility – building phase.

    Wemi-Akinsola said the company is committed to producing rice profitably and making it affordable for the man on the street.

    He said: “All rice will be produced sustainably, using the system of rice intensification and other innovative and modern farming practices, while creating over 2500 jobs and providing a range of social benefits for the people of Akotogbo. It is hoped that this project will act as a catalyst for the region to become a hub of sustainability.

    “The project will grow from 600 ha in year one to 5400 hectares (double cropped) in year five, and produces profits from year one.”

    According to him, there are about 25,000 hectares available in Akotogbo and Wems Agro has secured a long-term agreement with the landowners.

    He reiterated  that  the  company  intends to take advantage of the  market opportunity and help Nigeria become self sufficient in rice, and to develop a profitable agricultural industry in Ondo State.

    He  said  greater investment to double rice production is needed to reduce dependence  on  Thailand  rice and  improve livelihoods. He  believed that rice can help move people out of poverty, beyond food insecurity.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Students solve community’s water problem

    As part of requirements to graduate from the Poise Graduate Finishing Academy (PGFA), Ilupeju, the Stream 25 set of students has donated a manual bore-hole locally called ‘jagamu’ to the Orile Bariga community of Bariga Town, Lagos State.

    The bore-hole would serve the community, which has been experiencing water shortages because of poor power supply, as an alternative source of water supply.

    Speaking during the inauguration of the facility last week, a member of staff of PGFA, Mr Olaniyi Omole told the community that the young executives, as the students are called, sacrificed a lot to complete the project.

    “These young executives had to go begging in markets and shopping malls in order to raise funds to execute the project within two weeks. They have really shown their competence by completing the project within two weeks with no fund from any organisation other than what they raised from their appeal from to well-meaning people,” he said.

    He explained that PGFA trains young graduates in acquiring employable skills.  He added that the project is a test of their ability to work as a team to contribute to the infrastructural development of their immediate environment.

    Responding, Chief Waheed Owodunni Agiri, the Baale of Orile Bariga in whose palace the borehole was mounted, thanked the students for the new development they brought to his community.

    “I am grateful to these young executives in Stream 25 of Poise Graduate Finishing Academy, for choosing Orile Bariga as the beneficiary of their developmental project. Supply of water will now be constant, with or without power supply. This donation will never be forgotten in the history of this community,” he said.

    He urged some members of the community not to monopolise the bore-hole, as it is meant for all to use.

    Members of the PGFA Stream 25 include: Christiana Oloyede (Project Champion), Anita Iroajanma (Public Relations Officer), Ugonna Arida (Event Planner), Adesewa Banjo and (Project Accountant).  Others are: Opeyemi Wusu, Tolulope Oladele, Divinewill Mbanali, Lukman Adegoke, Ololade Bamigbola, Motunrayo Owokogun, Damilola Adeleye, Mukosolu Udezue, Chima Amadife, Emmanuel Okuboarere, Tope Anifowose, Linda Uzoma and Maria Anunobi.”