cup of waterAbuja-Mr Micheal Nwabufo, Director of Hydrogeology, Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), has warned against the drinking of saline water (salt water), saying it could affect body organs.
Nwabufo gave the warning in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
The director explained that saline water’s intrusion into freshwater aquifers was as a result of the movement of water called ‘Tectonic Movement’ from the coastal region to the hinterland.
According to him, this movement is concerned with the process of movement of sea waters with salt substance from the coastal region to the hinterland.
According to him, drinking such water would cause the human body to take extreme amount of sodium which could affect the kidney in the body.
He, therefore, advised private borehole drillers to always seek the services of geo-scientists before drilling of boreholes for proper potable water.
According to him, a geo-scientist will provide you with the geographical information for the exploration of any natural resources from the ground.
‘’Saline water (salt water) is the water from the sea, rivers and it has salt substances which is not drinkable.
‘’This sea waters move into the hinterland through the process called ‘’Tectonic Movement.
‘’It influences the presence of the freshwater in such affected area, and this is why professionals in the field always advise that geo-scientists be involved in the drilling of boreholes.
‘’In essence, what this movement does is that, it takes the salt substance in the water to deposit on the hinterland, where the freshwater aquifers becomes infected with it.
‘’People wonder why fresh water in some part of the land should taste salty or why such water is found in the coastal regions.
‘’Studies have shown that in million years ago, there were situations whereby tectonic movement occurred, which caused the marine water to transgress into the hinterland.
‘’This water is not drinkable because it has become contaminated by varying degrees of salinity due to salt water intrusion from the sea,’’ he said.
Nwabufo said the evidence of saltwater intrusion was found in fresh water aquifers in some parts of Nigeria including Benue, Lagos, Nasarawa, Plateau and Gombe states.
The director, however, said that such intrusion had an added advantage on the hinterland, stressing that it could form salt on the ground for mining purposes.