THE Ekiti State government on Wednesday announced that a sum of N556 million has been approved for release to boost water supply in the state.
The state’s Commissioner for Public Utilities, Mr Deji Adesua, stated this at the celebration of World Water Day in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.
Adesua also announced that the state government has also adopted a new water and sanitation policy, already approved by the State House of Assembly and signed into law by the governor, Mr Ayo Fayose.
At the celebration, which involved various stakeholders including Justice Development and Peace Initiative (JDPI), Adesua said government took the step as part of measures aimed at ensuring that large percentage of Ekiti residents are accessible to safe water.
He said the money so approved was in form of counterpart funding to be made available to the European Union (EU) Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reform Programme, Phase 111, otherwise known as WSSSRP 111.
He clarified that a sum of N151m of the approved sum is to be paid immediately, while the rest are to be remitted in due course owing to current economic recession.
The Commissioner explained that with the commencement of the counterpart fund payment, the state was now assured that the EU would now be compelled to give all necessary technical and financial support, big enough to liberate the state from the shackles of poor water supply.
He said in addition to this, the state government was also irrevocably committed to the payment of nother Counterpart Fund as regards the third National Urban Water Sector Reform Project which is being supported by the World Bank.
He declared that the overall objective of the counterpart fund payment and the new policy direction on water and sanitation was the provision of portable water and improved sanitation in parts of the state but through participatory investment by all relevant stakeholders.
In a goodwill message, an EU Representative, Mr Alaba Ogunsajo, said his body would be intervening in the issue of water and sanitation in three states of Ekiti, Adamawa and Plateau.
According to him, the total cost of the WSSSRP project in the three states was estimated to be €40m, while contributions from the participating states and their local governments amounted to €4,114,286 which represents 30-70 cost sharing between the EU and the three states.
Also speaking, the General Manager of the State Water Corporation, Mrs Olabisi Agbeyo disclosed that no fewer than four dams are being rehabilitated in the state while a total of seven small communities were being captured for total water supply.
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