Minsiter of Energy and Water Development Kenneth Konga says Government is aware of the urgent need for more investment in the water and sanitation sector and is committed to ensuring increased funding.
Mr Konga said this is evidenced by increased funding to the sector, citing the rise in funding in the national budget allocation from 2.7 percent in 2009 to five percent in 2010.
He said this at the inauguration of the re-appointed National Water and Sanitation Council (NWASCO) in Lusaka on Tuesday [29 December 2009].
“Funds have also been sourced from bilateral and multi-lateral partners to address the many challenges facing the sector,” he said.
[...] He said to ensure achievement of Millennium Development Goals by service providers, NWASCO has a challenge in monitoring the performance of the providers and ensuring that services are extended to more people, particularly in peri-urban areas.
The minister said Government is committed to ensuring that people have access to safe drinking water and ideal sanitation, saying this can only be achieved if service delivery is done in an efficient, cost-effective and sustainable manner.
He said tariffs are an area of concern and that Government wants to ensure that people pay a fair price for services they get.
“This must be in accordance with the quality of services being provided to avoid exploitation in view of the policy on commercialization of the services,” he said
Mr Konga said the water sector is one of the key areas to be given priority in the Sixth National Development Plan to be implemented in June 2010.
NWASCO chairperson Cosmas Musumali said the council realises that there is still a large number of people who do not have access to clean and safe drinking water.
He said substantial capitalisation is needed for more people in peri-urban areas to access clean and safe water.
Devolution Trust Fund (DTF) manager Sam Gong’a also said [...] that much more still needs to be done if any meaningful impact is to be felt.
Gong’a expressed doubt that the MDG on sanitation would be achieved, with 60 per cent of the urban population still lacking access to proper sanitation.
Gong’a said the National Water Supply and Sanitation Council (NWASCO), through DTF, had embarked on a number of projects in 2009 aimed at improving water and sanitation service delivery across the country.
“Basically, we had about 10 projects which we embarked on this year, seven of which have been completed while we expect to complete the other three by next week (this week). We were unable to complete the remaining projects mainly due to land ownership problems at the sites we chose to develop,” he said.
Gong’a said the 10 projects have been carried out at a cost of K15 billion and would benefit about 20,000 residents.
He said an agreement was recently signed with the German Development Bank totalling three million euros (about K20 billion) which would assist in improving sanitation services.
Gong’a stressed that there was need for commercial utilities to use the availed funds prudently if the country was to improve its service delivery in the water and sanitation sector and realise its sector goals.
The members of the installed NWASCO are Cosmas Musumali from Health Service and Systems, Zambia Consumers Association, executive secretary Muyunda Ililonga, Zeles Zulu from the ministry of Local Government and Joe Simachela from Justice ministry.
Source: Rebecca Chileshe, Zambia Daily Mail, 30 Dec 2009 ; Times of Zambia / allAfrica.com, 30 Dec 2009 ; Florence Bupe, The Post, 30 Dec 2009
peri urban areas across Africa have major problems when it comes to safe drinking water. it is encouraging to hear that the Zambian Government are looking to tackle that problem within Zambia. Every effort needs to be made to meet the millenium development goals
o relly ? they even dot have pure water?
i hope zambian goverment solve these problems soon