Madam Helene Cave, the EU charge d’Affairs handed over the projects to Lamin Kaba Bajo, the minister of Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Matters. Speaking at the occasion, Minister Lamin Kaba Bajo expressed appreciation to the EU not only for their current assistance, but also for the support they have been rendering to the country over the years, as well as the partnership that has benefited many Gambians, especially the poorer section of the community.
According to him, within the water sector alone, the European Commission has provided them with resources to construct water supply systems in 431 villages throughout the country, of which 340 are village wells, equipped with hand pumps and solar-powered water supply system in 91 larger villages. He disclosed that these EU projects have already benefited over 270, 000 people or around 20% of the national population.
Minister Bajo further noted that the RWSSS projects, upon completion, will provide over 115, 000 people with potable water through a mix of simple wells equipped with hand pumps, larger solar-powered supplies, and piped systems in some peri-urban areas, which will be connected to the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC).He explained that they expect the RWSSS programme to directly address the needs of the rural population and contribute to poverty alleviation in The Gambia, as well as attain its specific objectives of providing ‘safe drinking water for all’ by 2010.
“It will also contribute to the achievement of MDG 7, to ‘ensuring environmental sustainability’, which aims to reduce by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water by 2015,” he added. The Fisheries and Water Resources minister reiterated the government of The Gambia’s appreciation of the EU’s continued support to this key sector, and thanked all those who contributed to the RWSSS project, including the Gambia government and Madam Helene Cave, the EU Charge d’Affaires in The Gambia.
For his part, Momodou Tangara, minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad described the RWSSS projects as a good provision for the poorer sections of the Gambian community, and stressed that the beneficiaries should try and take good care of the projects, by not misusing the water, and by paying their water rates.He further thanked the people who participated in the project work; and the Gambian government and the EU for the support.
Bernard Gomez, the assistant director, Department of Water Resources, disclosed that the RWSSS is being financed under the 9th EDF Programme to the tune of 6.8million Euros, and focuses on poverty reduction by enhancing the capacity of delivery of sustainable water supply services, accompanied by health education campaign, thereby addressing the direct needs of the population.
He said over 150 new water supply systems are installed and functioning, benefiting an estimated 115, 000 people in rural and peri-urban settlements. He further disclosed that apart from Bintang, Bonto and Berrending, all in the Western Region, there are also two other systems in Bajana and Sangajorr, which are yet to be inaugurated. He added that in the coming weeks and months, similar inaugurations will be conducted in other regions throughout the country.
Gomez said it is expected that the 25 solar systems will provide water to over 50, 000 people, and. He revealed that in addition to the solar systems, RWSSS also constructed hand-dug wells and tube wells equipped with hand pumps for small communities, with extensions also made to the Nawec water system to supply communities close to the peri-urban areas.
He also advised the beneficiaries to take good care of the project and pay their water rates on time. Adam Helene Cave, the charge d’affaires of The EU, asserted that the RWSSS project will have a positive influence on the achievement of the MDG 7 in The Gambia, pointing out that access to drinking water is a basic right of any human being. She added that the percentage of human beings not having access to potable water is still high, particularly in Africa.
Madam Cave stated that the EU is at the forefront for assisting African countries to meet MDG 7, revealing that at the end of the RWSSS project by December 2010, the percent of the Gambian population not having access to potable water will decrease drastically. She noted that the list of the completed sites in the Western Region is already rather impressive for both the peri-urban and rural components of the project, while others will be completed soon. She then insisted on the need to secure the solar panels, as there are many reported cases of theft of solar panels in the press. The EU charge d’affaires finally thanked everyone who participated in the project.
Source: observer.gm