United States Agency for International Development, USAID, has earmarked $65 million as technical support fund to increase access to potable water for 500,000 households in Imo, Sokoto, Taraba, Abia, Niger and Delta states.
The intervention on Effective Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, E-WASH, programmes in the six selected states in 2018 will run till 2022.
The USAID E-WASH Specialist, Abdulsalam Badamosi, spoke at a 3-day Media roundtable for journalists in Jalingo, Taraba State capital.
He explained that the four years technical support fund for the six selected states would improve availability of clean water through their various states’ Water boards, noting that the funding would assist the water agencies of the six pilot states provide sustainable water services to their vulnerable urban neighbourhood
General Manager of Taraba State Water Supply Agency, Sani Siam, noted that the selection of the state as one of the beneficiaries was because of the state government’s commitment to ensuring that clean water was available to residents.
According to him, “our water agency has been operating at a lose all along, where we spend N7 million monthly and earn about N2 million in return. This was why the state government declared a state of emergency in the water sector.”
“The partial autonomy the state water board currently enjoys will soon become a full autonomous government agency for effective water service delivery to residents of the state.”
