Association of Water Drillers and Rig-owners Practitioners (AWDROP) has said that there are plans to impose regulations, standardization, licensing, accreditation, training and enforcements of code of practice on anyone interested in drilling borehole nationwide.
National President of AWDROP, Mr. Michael Ale made this announcement during a press conference organised for borehole drillers at Kakanfo Inn, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Ale said “Many boreholes drilled in Nigeria by non-professionals have contaminated our most precious underground resources, thus resulting in illness for many innocent Nigerians.
“Failure to coordinate activities of borehole drilling in Nigeria through non-implementation of regulatory instrument, encouraged uncoordinated pricing and use of substandard materials to the disadvantage of unsuspecting and ill-informed customers.
“The Federal Ministry of Water Resources, with the assistance of many stakeholders, including Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), has put up code of practice for borehole drilling in Nigeria and the document remains the valid guiding code for drilling companies in Nigeria.
“AWDROP accepted the adoption of the implementation of the code for drilling companies, thus setting standard for their operation.’’
He added that “The implementation of code of practice for all borehole operators was important for sustainable quality water provision in Nigeria. There is the need to partner with all stakeholders involved in drilling practices to imbibe the culture and practice of good design and safety during operation.”