The 2024 edition of the annual World Rivers Day, a global event, was recently celebrated in Nigeria. Stakeholders at the event emphasized the importance of preserving water bodies across the country SUNDAY OLATUNBOSUN reports.
FOR millions in more than 100 countries who participated in the 2024 edition of World Rivers Day, the significance of their object of veneration to humans is disconcertingly underestimated.
That rivers are providers of fresh, safe drinking water, not to mention its vital role in the agricultural sector, appears to have been taken for granted. 
There is no gain-saying the fact that for water to play its role as a source of life, there is a need to have it in its purest condition, devoid of pollution and any form of impurities most often caused by human activities such as refuse dumping and open deification.
World Rivers Day, a celebration of the world’s waterways, is marked on the fourth Sunday of every September. As an avenue to create awareness, the 22nd of September of this year was set aside to celebrate World Rivers Day, underscore the unique values of rivers and raise awareness about the significance and the adverse effects of pollution on rivers.
This year’s event also advocated conservation and sustainable management of this vital natural resource.
The 2024 World Rivers Day celebration, organised by Upper Niger River Basin Development Authority, in collaboration with the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, provided the platform to enlighten stakeholders and the general public on the immense value of rivers and strives to increase public awareness and encourage improved stewardship of rivers around the world.
This year’s edition was held at River Chanchaga, Chanchaga Water Board, Minna, under the theme “Protect Our Rivers from Pollution”,
In his remarks, the Managing Director of Upper Niger Rivers Basin Development Authority, Prof. Abdulkareem Ali, who was represented by the Executive Director, Finance and Administration of the organisation, Yusuf Musa, pointed out that rivers are important to human life for sustainability and also help to regulate temperature in the environment. Hence, there is a need to protect them.
“We are creating awareness that they should stop open deification; let them stop throwing their refuse into the drainages which will ultimately get into the rivers,” he said.
In his brief remark, Niger State Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Barr. Maurice Bello Magaji, commended federal government efforts to promote sustainable water management, with a focus on food security, economic development, and achieving an open deification-free Nigeria by 2025.
Barrister Maurice further stressed the importance of protecting rivers from pollution, noting that human activities and climate change continue to endanger freshwater sources.
He called for intensified efforts to conserve and preserve rivers which are vital to biodiversity, ecosystems, and human well-being.
On his part, the Guest speaker, Engr. Sadiq Abubakar Mohammed analyzed the significant values of rivers and the effects of pollution on rivers around humanity.
“There must be a need for segregating the wastes, we need to know which wastes should go into water bodies and the kind of wastes that go into landfills”. 
This year’s edition of World Rivers Day featured tree planting, a roadshow, a demonstration of river-cleaning exercises, cultural displays, and a lecture, to mention but a few.
Eighteen-Eleven Media