Water scarcity has become a global phenomenon. This
is mainly due to the increase in population, global climatic
change, drought cycles and decertification (particularly in
the Sub-Saharan Africa). Presently, about 2 billion people
in 80 countries around the world suffer from chronic water
shortages and Nigeria is unfortunately one of such countries.
Many of the capital cities in Nigeria do not have
adequate water supply. A number of water-borne and
water related diseases such as typhoid, dysentery and
dracunculiasis, which have become endemic in Nigeria,
could easily be eradicated through proper sanitation and
provision of adequate clean water. Without exaggeration,
our industrial and agricultural productivities and consequently
our social and economic emancipation as a nation
are very much dependent on the availability and quality of
water

C.P.E. Omaliko (7230182)

English

Loughborough University Institutional Repository

OMALIKO5829th WEDC International Conference Abuja, Nigeria, 2003The role of biotechnology in water resource and ecosystem managementProf. C.P.E. Omaliko, NigeriaTOWARDS THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALSWATER SCARCITY HAS become a global phenomenon. Thisis mainly due to the increase in population, global climaticchange, drought cycles and decertification (particularly inthe Sub-Saharan Africa). Presently, about 2 billion peoplein 80 countries around the world suffer from chronic watershortages and Nigeria is unfortunately one of such coun-tries. Many of the capital cities in Nigeria do not haveadequate water supply. A number of water-borne andwater related diseases such as typhoid, dysentery anddracunculiasis, which have become endemic in Nigeria,could easily be eradicated through proper sanitation andprovision of adequate clean water. Without exaggeration,our industrial and agricultural productivities and conse-quently our social and economic emancipation as a nationare very much dependent on the availability and quality ofwater.Agriculture and water resourcemanagementAgriculture accounts for 70% of all water use. Primaryfood production and food processing depend critically onwater availability and its quality. Sub-Saharan Africa hasbeen named one of the world’s food insecure regions(Alhassan, 2002) because of problems relating to climaticchanges, drought, decertification and inappropriate farm-ing like “slash and burn”, post harvest losses, poor accessto farm inputs (e.g., fertilizer), etc (FAO 2000).Natural resources and ecosystemmanagementNigeria is quite endowed not only with genetic resourcesbut also with diverse natural resources, including crude oil.In the bid to harness and exploit these natural resources forsocial and economic development, our practices, includingmethods of exploitation and management, have contrib-uted to the resources and the environment being endan-gered and degraded. Some of these practices include:• deforestation and consequent hydrological imbalanceresulting in reduced access to water resources and• over-grazing, which causes loss of productivity of soilused for agriculture and pasture.Crude oil, which is currently Nigeria’s number oneforeign exchange earner has become number one source ofenvironmental degradation and pollution. The incessantoil spillages have constantly polluted our surrounding landand surface and ground waters, thereby contributing to theshortage of available clean water. The ecosystem is slowlydying as the natural micro flora and fauna are seriouslybeing endangered in the affected areas.The whole situation therefore calls for urgent need torescue our ecosystem and to use the available water in amost judicious manner, by applying all technologies at thedisposal of all the stakeholders. While it is true thatbiotechnology holds great potential for the development ofsustainable water resource and ecosystem management, itis not in any way a panacea for solving our nationwidewater shortage problems. Biotechnology has been definedas “the exploitation of living organisms, generally microor-ganisms or biological processes in an industrial or commer-cial situation to provide desired goods or services (Sakyta,1983). It is multidisciplinary and finds use in agriculture,health, industry and environment. It therefore involves awide range of scientific techniques.National Biotechnology DevelopmentAgency (NABDA)NABDA was established in 2001 with the objective ofpromiting the attainment of self-reliance in the biotechnol-ogy industry and of ensuring that Nigerians have access tosafe and profitable uses of biotech-based products andservices among others. The achievement of these objectivesare vigorously being pursued by NABDA through develop-ment of human resources and provision of Research andDevelopment (R & D) facilities by both strengtheningexisting laboratories and setting up new ones in designatedcentres across the country for specific technique acquisi-tion. Some of the problems highlighted above like ecosys-tem degradation and deforestation can be amelioratedthrough the application of the following biotechnologytechniques:Tissue culture techniqueThis technique is based on the ability of plant species toregenerate a whole plant from single cell. The advantage ofplant cell culture is that it is free of pest infestation, it isunaffected by climate and weather, its defined growthconditions lead to more stable quality and consistency ofproduct, it ensures production, when and as needed and itgreatly reduces land utilisation (Joske et al., 1991). It cantherefore be employed to replenish our fast depleting foodcrops and forest species and is one of the Agency’s priorityprojects.OMALIKO59NABDA has consequently established Zonal Biotechnol-ogy Centres (Z.B.Cs) in the six geopolitical zones of thecountry namely: N.E.Z.B.C., N.W.Z.B.C., N.C.Z.B.C.,S.W.Z.B.C., S.E.Z.B.C. and S.S.Z.B.C., corresponding re-spectively to the following six ecological zones: the semi-arid vegetation, savannah vegetation, montane/plateauvegetation, derived savannah, tropical rain forest andmangrove/swamp vegetation. One of the cardinal aims isfor the centres to present information on the particularvegetation zone and to carry out research for the develop-ment of tissue culture protocols in order to ensure produc-tion of plant materials as and when needed.Genetic engineering/recombinant DNAtechnologyOne of the important factors in increasing water useefficiency is the ability of the crops to consume less waterand to be able to survive in water-scarce environmentduring drought periods and desert conditions, for example.Biotechnology has made it possible for the development oftransgenic crops (e.g. drought resistant crops), which areideally suited for water scare and drought conditions. Thishas been made possible due to recent advances in biotech-nology whereby it has become possible to decipher thegenetic code and to move genes responsible for variousfunctions from one organism to another plant, animal ormicroorganism. The biotech centers in the six geopoliticalzones have the mandate to carry out necessary research intothe improvement of key crops in their zones. The N.E.Z.B.C.,located in the semi-arid zone for example, is working onGum Arabic for afforestation purposes.Biological effluent treatmentThe major cities in Nigeria are fast becoming overpopu-lated as a result of rural urban migration and additionally,the number of industries, (particularly small scale agro-based industries) are gradually increasing. The implicationof this is an increase in the domestic and industrial effluentproduced resulting in increased environmental pollutionand further depletion of the scarce commodity (water). Theeffluent, instead of being discharged untreated into theenvironment can be treated through microbiological meansusing low technology, pond systems. The treated effluentcan then be recycled for use by the industry or collected foruse in irrigating and fertilizing the plantations (Onyia et al.2001). For this reason, agro-based and food processingindustries in many of the South East Asian countries arelocated very close to the plantations for efficient water use.Bio-remediation/bio-augmentationOil spillage has become a common occurrence in someparts of our oil-rich States. The level of ground water andland contamination caused by leakages from NNPC pipe-lines has assumed an alarming rate. These environmentalproblems can be ameliorated through application of natu-rally occurring microorganisms in a process known asbioremediation. In a more recalcitrant situation the systemcan be bio-augumented with carefully selected and culturedmicroorganisms or with genetically modified microbes(GMO’s) that can clean up the polluted environment forland and water body reclamation. The Agency is collabo-rating with NNPC, Federal Ministry of Environment andother stakeholder in working out strategies for tackling thismenace.Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)TechniqueThe polymerase chain reaction (PCR) invented by Mullis in1983 (Mullis and Taloona, 1987) is a technique used forgene amplification. Since invention, PCR has become oneof the most useful and frequently used tools in molecularbiology. Apart from its application in the construction ofDNA “fingerprints” for crime detection and disease diag-nosis, PCR is a very useful tool for quick identification ofbacteria in the environment including water systems. In-stead of the traditional ways of detecting the presence ofcoliforms in drinking water, PCR can be used to monitorthe quality of water used for drinking and domestic uses,and to establish the presence of pathogens in the environ-ment.References1.Alhassan, W.S. (2002). Agro-biotechnology Applicationin West and Central Africa (2002 Survey outcome). IITA,Ibadan. 107 pp.2.FAO. (2000). Agriculture: towards 2015/30. TechnicalInterim Report. Economic and Social Department.FAO.www.fao.org/es3.Joske, F.G., Bunders and Jacqueline E.W. Broese. 1991.Appropriate Biotechnology in Small-Scale Agriculture:How to reorient research and development. C.A.B Inter-national, Wallingford, Oxon OX10 8DE, UK.4.Mullis, K.B. and Falcoona, F.A. (1987). Specific synthesisof DNA in vitro via a polymerase catalysed chain reac-tion. Methods in Enzymol. 155: pp. 335-350.5.Onyia, C.O. Akunna, J.C., A.M. Uyub, Norulaini, N.A.,A.K.M. Omar (2001). Enhancing the fertilizer value ofPalm Oil Mill Sludge: Bioaugmentation in Nitrification.Journal of Water Science and Technology, 44, 10, 56-62.6.Sakyta, B. (1983). Methods in industrial microbiology.Ellis-Horwood, Chichester. In Biology of wastewatertreatment. Oxford University Press. Oxford, New York,Toronto. Pp. 828.PROF. C.P.E. OMALIKO, Director General, NationalBiotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Abuja,Nigeria.

The role of biotechnology in water resource and ecosystem management

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The role of biotechnology in water resource and ecosystem management

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