It was a moment of joy and excitement for the residents of Kawu, in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Saturday as the Minister of livestock development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha launched a borehole project in the community.
The borehole, when completed, aims to supply water to the Kawu Grazing Reserve as well as the residents of the community.
Speaking at the event, the Minister noted that the borehole project is the first in the area since the Grazing Reserve was created.
Maiha emphasized that the launch of the project reflects the Ministry’s readiness to fulfill the commitment made towards the community, pledging to sink six more motorized boreholes which will provide portable drinking water for domestic utilization.
“We have also come with a rig. You have practically seen that this is the first borehole in this area since this grazing reserve was created. You could see the excitement in the small children, women were jubilating, elders were shaking their heads in amazement that this is happening in their lifetime. We are going to give them a borehole, and this is just a pilot one.
“We are going to sink, from our own assessment, about five to six motorized boreholes that are going to serve portable drinking water for domestic utilization as well as animal consumption”, the Ministry said.
The Minister also inspected the Dam in the area which is the only source of water during dry season for the residents, saying it will be converted into a source of water for dry season pasture cultivation.
“Here today, we have come with a bag full of commitment, dedication, and passion. One, we have inspected a dam that we believe today is the only source of water during the dry season in this area.
“This grazing reserve is about 9,000 hectares of land, and it has, from our own estimation, about 30,000 heads of cattle with more than 10,000 human beings in this grazing reserve.
“The dam is going to be converted into a source of water for dry season pasture cultivation. From there, we move on to have stakeholder engagement, and we continue this stakeholder engagement”, he stated.
The Minister also said he came with some quantities of Napier grass that would be distributed to all the livestock in the area.
Meanwhile, Maiha promised to engage his colleagues in the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Ministry of Power, and other agencies to provide some necessary infrastructure.
He disclosed that the Ministry has signed an agreement with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), to bring solar power to all the settlements in Kawu.
Continuing, he said “We have already spoken to UBEC, Universal Primary Education Commission. They will also come here. Primary schools exist here, where they are dilapidated, they will be rehabilitated; where they are understaffed with teachers, teachers will be brought.
“We have seen a large number of school-going children in this area. We have also spoken to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, they are going to come with primary health care here in this area for the families of everybody that is visiting in this area. What is more, we are also going to talk to the Ministry of Water Resources”.