Enugu Water Corporation lauds World Bank for boosting water supply

October 17, 2012 19:37

Audio attached

Enugu Water Corporation lauds World Bank for boosting water supply 

NAN-H-138

Water

Enugu, Oct. 17, (NAN) The Chairman of Enugu State Water Corporation Board, Prince Tony Nwonye, has commended the World Bank for facilitating adequate provision of water supply in the state.  

 

Nwonye made the commendation in Enugu on Wednesday at a two-day workshop on ‘Completion of Review of Water and Sanitation Sector Laws and Regulation’.

 

According to him, part of the bank’s requirements in water sector was to create an enabling environment and bye laws that would encourage private participation in the water sector.

 

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``Part of their requirement is that there must be an enabling law that would provide for private participation so that private people can come in.

 

``They want to make sure that the enabling laws are there for private participation, what we call PPP. It’s part of the World Bank and they are even helping to sponsor this.’’ 

 

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Nwonye said that the aim of the workshop was to look at the old laws, amend and review them so that they could meet global standard.

 

The chairman said that if the laws and policies were properly reviewed, it would create the enabling environment for water to function properly in the state.

 

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``The way the country is evolving into the 21st century, it's private participation now and there is no way government can do it all.

 

``What government does is to provide an enabling environment; provide the basic things so that private people can come in and compete among themselves.’’ 

 

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The Commissioner for Water Resources, Mr Charles Ajah, stressed the need to fill the gaps that would ensure effective service delivery in the sector.

 

Ajah urged the committee to facilitate early completion of the review exercise with a view to ensuring adequate water supply to the people.

 

In his contribution, the Chairman of Governance Committee for Law Review, Mr Fidelis Okeke, said that the essence of the water law review was to put in place measures that would help the state to take water supply to the next level.

 

According to him, it is important to improve these documents so that they would be able to help the ministry to meet its mandate in order to attain the global standard.

 

Okeke said that the state water corporation policy set up in 2009 was no longer feasible to address the contemporary challenges in the sector.

 He called on private individuals to participate in water supply in the state, adding that once these documents were reviewed, it would go a long way in helping the masses to remain focused. (NAN)

 DOC/MNA/MSAD

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