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The Technical Subcommittee on Evaluation of Dams on Friday said the Federal Government should not be blamed for the non-utilisation of Owena Multipurpose Dam since the project was completed in 2007.
The Director of Dams and Reservoir Operations, Engr. Ali Ibrahim Dalla, who stated this while on the spot assessment of the Owena Dam, disclosed that the Federal government executed its own side of the bargain by completing the dam as well as constructing a water treatment plant.
Engr. Dalla said it was the duty of the Ondo State government to reticulate and deliver water to residents after the completion of the project by the federal government.
He explained that the Owena Dam was built to provide water to five local government areas in the state, enable irrigation for farming, and support hydroelectric power generation.
The dam has a storage capacity of 36 million cubic metres, a length of 1.7 km, and a height of 24 metres, but it has never been utilised since its completion.
Engr. Dalla stated that the committee’s visit was on the directive of President Bola Tinubu to ascertain the dam’s health status and avoid a repetition of the devastation that occurred in Maiduguri earlier this year.
Dalla mentioned that the Owena Dam was capable of generating 10 megawatts of electricity: “We are here for an on-the-spot assessment in order to ascertain the health of this dam, arising from what happened in September at Ala Dam, where a flood disaster occurred and destroyed houses and streets.
“The President saw the need for us to go around the country to evaluate the conditions of our dams to avert similar occurrences.
“We have gone around, and we will make recommendations for a robust plan for government implementation to ensure the safety of the dams.
“This dam has never been put to use. The current federal government is responsible and will not leave any stone unturned to ensure that the dam is adequately used, adequately protected, and delivers the development required of it.
“We have to carry out a detailed study to know what it will cost to fix some things here. We are particularly concerned about the safety of the dam. Once it is safe, any other thing will follow. Any dam that is not safe, when it collapses, results in huge devastation.
“I believe the government’s request for us to ascertain the health of our dams means the government is serious about them.”
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa had ordered the necessary measures and expertise to be put in place for the provision of potable water from the dam.
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