In order to overcome food scarcity in the near future, an environmentalist, who specialises in water and a lecturer with the Federal University of Technology (FUTO) Owerri, Prof. Mike Nwachukwu, has told the federal government to use water from the ground (underground water or wells) to irrigate the farms to have surplus food for consumption and marketing.
Nwachukwu made the recommendation in an interview with our reporter in Owerri during the 3rd Public Lecture/Fellowship Conferment and Induction Ceremony organised by the Nigerian Institute of Water Engineers, Imo State Chapter, held last week.
He told government to stop shying away from its responsibility, but employ available local contents to preserve the water, use the underground water at its disposal to irrigate the land for bumper agriculture, regretting that the South who largely depends on the North for food, might have scarcity of food when there is drought and desertion which he pointed out are gradually encroaching in the North.
“If there is no irrigation, we can use underground water or wells to irrigate our farms and still have food. So, the government should not wait until there is drought and desertion which are gradually encroaching and if the North does not have water again to produce food, what will happen to the South, who is dependent on the North for onion, carrot, cucumber, melon, vegetable, beans, rice, yam. Apart from drought, the North is being depleted by the activities of Fulani terror herdsmen who use their cow and weapons to destroy farm produce and chase farmers away. Insecurity is not when the food is poisoned, it is when there is no more food and people are dying of hunger”, he said.
Enjoining government to “expand agriculture at all corners of the country to productively engage people to generate wealth, feed properly, reduce insecurity”, the university lecturer, reminded political leaders of the South to rise to the challenge of global warming and use available ingredients to preserve the environment, so that the water will not dry up to cause hunger and agony in the land.
Nwachukwu thanked the Nigerian Institute of Water Engineers, Imo State chapter, for doing marvellously by holding lectures and enlightening the public of the need to preserve the water and environment against degradation, drought or desertion, as well as proffering solution, encouraging the institute to keep on doing its best in educating the people on serious agriculture or subsistence farming.
