NBC HOSTS 200 FARMERS ACROSS NIGERIA TO MARK WORLD WATER DAY

To commemorate the United Nations’ World Water Day, Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) today hosted 200 crop and fish farmers in six states across Nigeria to a session on water management and food security facilitated by experts from the Agriculture and Water  Resources fields.

The event held at Abuja, Apapa, Enugu, Owerri, Ilorin And Jos.

 

Irrigation system being used to combat food security

In a statement signed by the Head of Public Affairs and Communications, Mrs. Adeyanju Olomola, Today, she noted that “In alignment with this year’s theme of ‘Water and Food Security’ we are hosting farmers from our host community as the 2012  ‘Water Ambassadors’ to jointly reflect on the importance of water in food production. Statistics show that there is a correlation between dearth of water and hunger and diseases. Therefore, it becomes imperative that we appreciate the need to maximize water use to ensure food security for our teeming population. We hope that as we leave here today, we all should have imbibed some water conservation practices to ensure that we have water all year round for agricultural production.”

Since 2009, NBC has leveraged the United Nations’ World Water Day to engage annually with strategic segments of our society to advocate for safe water practices under its ‘Water Ambassadors’ programme. In 2010, the company hosted Nigerian students across the country on a similar programme to enlist the students as advocates of water issues in their different communities.

 

She further explained that the business recognizes the importance of water because our ability to grow is related to the availability and quality of local water resources. “We understand that by targeting water access and promoting water security, NBC is fundamentally supporting the long-term socio-economic development of communities and Nigeria by extension. Access to safe water contributes to healthy communities, which in turn releases the full potential of the people to thrive on their various enterprises thereby assuring vibrant and productive local economies. When our communities are sustainable, we are successful as a business.” She stated.

 ‘Water Stewardship’ is a major plank of NBC’s Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability imperatives. The company has continued to invest in the provision of potable water in water-stressed communities around its 13 bottling plants, 28 commercial territories and 59 depots. On a broader note, NBC’s water strategy is encapsulated in the 3Rs of: Reduce, Replenish and Recycle.

 

Reduce - Since 2004, NBC has continuously set annual water use reduction (WUR) targets to reduce the volume of water consumed in its operations by investing in water-saving technologies to control water use and also recycle waste water in some stages of the production process for less-stringent house-keeping tasks. To date, the company has achieved a 52.5% reduction.

Recycle - All NBC’s thirteen (13) bottling plants have fully functional on-site Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs). These plants ensure that waste water from our bottling operations are recycled and discharged back to the environment at a level that supports aquatic life and agriculture.

Replenish – NBC continues to work at providing access to safe water in our communities. On Monday, NBC signed a partnership, Safe Water for Africa, with Guinness Nigeria, Coca-Cola Nigeria and TY Danjuma Foundation. With the realisation that no one company has the resources required to fully undertake the task of providing access to safe water to communities across the country, these four organisations have come together under the Safe Water for Africa partnership to jointly lead sustainable access to safe water for five million Africans by 2015. This initiative is open to organisations who share our passion to provide safe water to water-stressed communities.