13th June, 2018
Anambra State Government says it has renovated about 116 boreholes as part of efforts to increase the state residents’ access to potable water.
Mr Victor Ezekwo, the Programme Manager for Anambra Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), said this at a two-day Media Dialogue organised by UNICEF in Awka on Wednesday.
Ezekwo said that another 380 borehole projects were at the Tenders Board for approval by the state government.
He said that the state government, through the UNICEF-sponsored Water Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) project, had intervened in four Local Government Areas of Anambra East, Aguata, Nnewi North and Idemili South.
He said that 50 schools had also been provided with WASH facilities which include separate toilets for males and females.
According to him, 57 solar-powered rural water supply boreholes are at various stages of completion in these local governments.
Ezekwo, however, decried the spate of water facility vandalism at some sites in the state, saying it was hampering efforts by the government and donor agencies at solving the water needs of the people.
He, therefore, advised host communities to take full ownership of these installations to enhance the sustainability of the interventions.
Mr Jonathan Ekhator, UNICEF WASH Specialist, Enugu Office, expressed delight over the implementation level of WASH projects in the state.
Ekhator said that remarkable success had been recorded in the area of attitudinal change of the people towards unhealthy practices such as open air defecation and poor menstrual hygiene.
The dialogue was aimed at enhancing the mastery of journalists in the reportage of sanitation and hygiene matters.