By Mohammed Usman
The Minister of Water Resources, Mrs Sarah Reng Ochekpe, has said that kashimbila multi-purpose dam project would be commissioned early February in the year 2015.
The minister who stated this while fielding questions from press men during the inspection of the project, expressed satisfaction with the level of project completion so far.
“..And we are happy today as we stand with you here the project is at 95% completion. we have already set the processes that will lead to the commissioning of the project in early February in 2015,
all things being equal.”
Ochekpe who emphasized the enormous tourism potential of the project, stressed that they would want to maximize every opportunity available to utilize the potentials of the dam.
She thanked President Goodluck Jonathan for his effort to see the completion of the project and its effective usage.
While fielding questions too, the minister of power, Mr. Chinedu Nebo said that the increase of stipulated 10MW to 40MW was part of the maximization of available resources.
Nebo said that the transmission infrastructure of the hydro power section of the dam would strengthen Taraba, Benue and Plateau states and so forth.
Also, the minister of tourism, Mr. Edem Duke, who emphasized the uniqueness of the kashimbila dam in the continent of Africa, said that the project team has developed the master plan as to how to integrate the tourism into the project, adding “A number of the facilities that are already on ground are enough to jump start the tourism elements and other kind of adventure.
The dam which treated water supply to its immediate environs was said to be 60,000CU.M per day, was as a result of anticipation of the environmental disaster that may follow the breakdown of Lake Nyos in Cameroon which may flood states like Taraba, Benue, Cross river and delta with poisonous water.
It could be recalled that in August 1986, there was eruption of Lake Nyos in Cameroon which released poisonous gas and causes extensive flooding that led to the death of about 1,700 people, 4000 herds of Cattle, 330 sheep and thousands of other livestock in the villages of Cham, Nyos and subum just downstream of the lake, hence, the kashimbila dam was conceived and started in 2010.
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