Expert tasks govts on portable Water provision

The Chairman of the Federal Capital Territory Water Board, Mr. Kashim Ali has called on states to invest massively in the provision of portable water for their citizens.

Ali, who made the call in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, said it was worrisome that pipe-borne water was non-existent in many parts of the country.

According to him, states are duty-bound to seek out ways of improving access to portable water for their population.

Ali said that a recent survey about the causes of gastroenteritis in some hospitals in Abuja revealed that consumption of polluted water sources was a major factor.

He stated that the problem was addressed through the shutting down of affected boreholes and connecting the households to the public water system.

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According to the chairman, the controversies delaying the passage of the National Water Resources bill will not do the country any good, saying it was high time the bill was passed.

Speaking about the proposed Water, Sanitation and Hygiene fund, Ali said that this would serve as a central pool of resources that would meet the peculiar needs of all states.

He said that the introduction of public-private partnerships would go a long way toward repositioning the water resources sector in Nigeria.

Ali stated that efforts must be geared toward prioritising the passage of the National Water Resources bill into law, as it would help in ending water pollution and water-related illnesses.