AWDROP Worried by the plight of victims of insurgency in the North East, the Association of Water Well Drilling Rig Owners and Practitioners (AWDROP has called on the Federal Government to urgently provide bore holes to the Internally Displaced Persons in order to avoid epidemic.

The National President of AWDROP, Mr.Michael Ale while speaking with newsmen in Ibadan on Sunday, assured that his association was ready to collaborate with Federal Government in that regard.

The AWDROP president emphasized that the federal government must build boreholes for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), centers to avert water borne diseases and communicable diseases.

He noted that the IDPs centers are few and AWDROP was ready to partner with government to subsidise borehole drilling for the centres.

In an effort to make portable water available and affordable to the masses especially with the high cost of drilling boreholes by Nigerians, has tasked Nigerians who have drilled borehole in their homes to request for an incentive from government, lamenting that both federal and state governments were not doing enough to water sector.

Ale, who is also an expert in water sector, said indirectly, the private, the masses, and the Nigeria citizens have supported government even more than government can do in providing water for the masses through drilling of boreholes in their homes and offices.

 "So ‎every individual that has been drilling borehole to get water for themselves should demand incentives from governments because it is their responsibility to provide portable water for the citizens of the country.

"For instance, certain individual has started sachet water  ‎and bottle water factory, so where government cannot reach, all this water are getting there. Also some do not wait for government to give them pipe borne or borehole water, because if they have to wait, they may wait for ages, then those individuals have dug borehole for themselves with their hard earned money.

"Digging of borehole in the cities in Nigeria is an indication‎ that the state governments have failed in the provision and distribution of water supply to its citizens. Nigerians are spending much on water generation and that is why governments need to assist them." he said

Ale appealed to the federal government to implement the National Water Resources Master plan by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) 2014 in order for Nigerians to have access to portable water for the next 15 years.

The AWDROP boss who further stated that no state government in the ‎country has a water master plan, noted that the state governments have been loosing free international water grants as a result of this.

"No State government needs to spend tax payers’ money to provide water for the masses if only they can regulate and have a formidable water policy that will attract water development partners. The role of the federal government is to focus on water advisory and regulation, while the state governments provide a good water policy for international grants and the local government supplies water to the people" he said

To improve water distribution in the country, Ale urged government to set up a water rig drilling agency that will subsidize borehole drilling for the masses or should support their association to dig for the masses at a lower rate.