Good Water, Sanitation Crucial to Poverty Eradication - Commissioner

from All Africa

Daily Trust (Abuja)

A good agenda on water and sanitation is crucial to eradicating poverty and achieving other development goals, Alhaji Idi Waziri, the Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development, said yesterday.

Waziri said this in Jos while inaugurating a seven-man planning committee for the celebration of the 2008 World Water Day (WWD).

He called on the 17 local governments, communities and all stakeholders to dedicate this year up to 2015 to ensuring the availability of clean and safe water.

He said: "Today, about 700 million people in 43 countries suffer from inadequate sanitation, and by 2025, this figure could increase to more than three billion."

The commissioner said that the global water situation remained fragile and stressed the need for an integrated and sustainable approach to resource management, noting that sanitation was as pressing as ever.

"Available supplies are under great duress as a result of high population growth, unsustainable service patterns, poor management practices, pollution, investment in infrastructure and inefficiency in water and sanitation use", he said.

The commissioner said that the state would need more water in the future to grow food, provide potable water and sanitation services, operate industries and support expanding cities such as Jos and Bukuru.

"The water supply demand gap is likely to grow wider still, threatening economic and social development and environmental sustainability," he stated.

One of the committee's terms of reference is to strengthen institutional capacity through organizing conferences.

It is also charged with promoting more technology transfer through expositions, mobilisation of resources and scaling up good practices and lessons learned.

Responding, the Chairman of the committee, Mr Jonathan Malann, thanked the government for finding them worthy to undertake the assignment.

Malann assured that the committee would work within its terms of reference.

The news Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the UN General Assembly in a resolution on Dec. 22, 1992, declared March 22 of every year as World Water Day.

This is in conformity with the recommendations of the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED).