Towards better access to clean water through private sector interventions

Towards increased access to clean water through private sector interventions

Author: Abiemwense Moru, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

According to the United Nations (UN), access to safe water is the most basic human need for health and well-being.

He says that in 2030, billions of people will not have access to this basic service unless progress quadruples.

The World Bank estimates that 70 million Nigerians do not have access to safe drinking water.

It also says that no less than 70,000 deaths of children under five years of age due to diarrhea-related diseases are recorded every year in the country.

The demand for water is increasing due to rapid population growth; urbanization and growing demand for water from agriculture, industry and energy.

Water demand has outpaced population growth, and half of the world’s population already experiences severe water scarcity at least one month of the year.

According to the United Nations, water scarcity is expected to increase as global temperatures rise due to climate change

According to WaterAid, an international non-governmental organization, the private sector is increasingly recognized as an important development partner in the water and wastewater sector.

He says that while there were some reservations about the private sector’s ability to meet the needs of the poorest citizens.

WaterAid says it uses its donation to meet the clean water needs of people in rural communities.

Recently, 10,000 residents of four communities in the Bwari Area Council of the FCT gained access to clean water thanks to the water intervention projects of the NGO and its partners.

Williams Kolo, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Coordinator at Bwari Area Council, said this during a meeting to mark the closure of the WaterAid 14-month intervention project.

The meeting titled: Strengthening Water Supply and Sanitation Project in Bwari Area Council was organized by WaterAid Nigeria in collaboration with the FCT Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA).

Other project partners included the Bwari Area Council and the project was funded by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Giving an overview of the project results achieved, the Circle said that 10,000 residents now have access to clean water, WASH management skills and messages promoting sanitation.

“10,000 people gained access to clean water, 647 people gained access to safe sanitation management, and 3,500 people, including women and children, received messages promoting sanitation.

“The organization has constructed and rehabilitated 10,000 and 20,000 liter solar/electric powered water boreholes in four communities and one school, including water kiosks.

“In addition, 115 members, including 67 men and 48 women, from WASH management structures and hygiene promoters were trained in the four beneficiary communities.

“It is also worth noting that these water points have been certified as zero E. coli at five water facilities purchased in four communities and a school,” Kolo said.

He listed the beneficiary communities as Baran-goni, Zuma II, Sabon-Gari, Dakwa and LEA Primary School in Tudun-fulani.

Kolo went on to say that in order to sustain and replicate the intervention, the partners developed an investment plan to help the council build more infrastructure in other communities.

This was also intended to ensure that other communities within the council had access to clean water, while also ensuring that the WASH unit would help ensure that funding for such projects was included in the subsequent council budget.

Commenting on the progress of the project, Mr. Nanpet Chuktu, Director of Programs, WaterAid Nigeria, said the 14-month project aimed to strengthen WASH implementation in selected communities in the municipality.

This was aimed at complementing the government’s efforts in accessing WASH services while improving hygiene behaviors and outcomes among the target population, he further said.

He added that the project focused on increasing access to WASH services through the construction and renovation of water facilities in selected communities and the provision of gender-inclusive public sanitation facilities and participation.

He said: “Today’s meeting with partners and representatives of the WASH committee aims to conclude the one-year mini-project we are currently implementing at the Council.

“We want to show responsibility and say that we started this last year, this is what we promised and we delivered.

“The Bwari Area Council is still a work in progress, the council and RUWASSA are key institutions that we support, so we continue to implement similar projects.

“This is to firstly demonstrate a model that can be used to improve the status of WASH in communities, while at the same time putting the onus on the government to use these models for development.

“By the next budget cycle, we would like to see the council committing funds to similar projects in other communities, rather than just relying on donor organizations.”

He also assessed the inclusion of 40 percent by the Council. women to the WASH committee and added that their active participation is impressive.

One of the committee members, Mrs. Safiya Rafiu from the Baran-goni community, appreciated the partners’ efforts, praying for God’s blessing on all those who tried to bring smiles to people’s faces.

She said the initiative not only improved sanitation in her community but helped the WASH committee sell water to residents at reduced rates to maintain and maintain the facility.

Peter Saidu, a resident of Zuma II and member of the WASH committee in the area, appreciated the initiative, stating that it was a dream come true for his community.

According to him, the Zuma II community has always had difficulty accessing clean water, but thanks to the intervention, 24/7 water supply has been made possible.

He thanked all partners and donors for the impact of awareness on sanitation and hygiene, while promising that the flag will continue to fly in the community.

WaterAid Nigeria and its partners have also established and trained WASH committee members from each community to promote and improve sanitation and hygiene practices in these areas.

According to The Organized Private Sector in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (OPS-WASH), the global body coordinating private sector engagement on SDG 6, deepening public-private partnerships in the water sector is key to achieving SDG 6.

This forms the basis for partnership with the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (AWEN) and other stakeholders to develop sustainable interventions across the country’s six geopolitical zones, says OPS-WASH National Coordinator, Dr. Nicolas Igwe.

While the private sector is contributing, the federal government has said it will ensure that the country’s water scarcity problem is resolved.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, assured her when the National Sanitation and Water Hygiene Network paid her an advocacy visit in Abuja.

“The main issue in IDP camps is the issue of WASH, but within the ministry we have several groups and agencies working to address these issues.

“We are also building a friendly environment in which the issue of washing is raised to the highest level in the country,” said the minister.

For the private sector to contribute more effectively to solving the country’s clean water challenges, governments at all levels should provide them with enabling conditions, regulations and logistical support. (NANFunctions)

**If used, please credit the author and the Nigerian news agency.