Danzumi Ishaku, Jalingo Correspondent
The Taraba State House of Assembly Committee on Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) has assured that the Taraba WASH Bill will be passed to Law by the State Governor, Darius Ishaku, by December 2019.
The Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Mohammed Abdulkarim, made this statement while receiving delegates from leading Non-Governmental Organisation on social accountability in Africa, Connected Development [CODE], led by its team Lead on the USAID E-WASH project, Ijeoma Oforka.
Hon. Abdulkarim, who acknowledged that the bill has been delayed for some time, added that “there were plans to assent the bill in October 2019, however we were constrained. As a matter of urgency, we will accelerate the second reading, public hearing, and third reading and present it to Governor Darius Ishaku for assent before the end of December 2019.”
With the support of USAID E-WASH, CODE is on a mission, in Taraba, to hold government to account on implementing the WASH Bill. Speaking at the meeting with the committee chairman, Oforka emphasized that “”CODE will also help to strengthen civic advocacy so that the residents of Taraba can have access to adequate safe water and basic sanitation; provided at an affordable cost in a sustainable manner in order to promote their health, dignity, economic well-being and improved livelihoods.”
The urban WASH sector in Taraba suffers from poor coordination in the implementation of projects, weak institutional capacity, and undefined or overlapping roles for various sector stakeholders. Assenting the bill will erase bottlenecks, enhance water rights and adopt best practices on sanitation that meets the needs of residents.
CODE also paid courtesy calls to the Secretary to the State Government, Hon. Anthony Jellason, who acknowledged that lack of clean water has contributed to poor sanitation and exposed the people particularly children to diarrhoea diseases. Jellason pledged to advocate the reduction of barriers for the most marginalized in the State. The Chief of Staff, Hon. Haruna I. Gabana also pledged to engage with the Members of the House of Assembly to tackle the bottlenecks and fast-track the passage of the Bill.
Taraba Water and Sewerage Corporation (TAWASCO) will provide 60, 0000 population with access to clean water within the next 3 years, the General Manager, Mr Engr. Musa Siam, stated. He added that the Water Bill if signed to Law has the potential to improve the structure of the sector and address the water supply needs and sanitation challenges of the State.
Taraba is notable for solid and liquid waste menace which has seriously affected public health in the State, however, the Government continues to make intentional efforts to provide residents with potable water and address sanitation issues. These acts were recognised by the Nigerian Water Supply Association, who awarded the State Governor, Darius Ishaku, WaterMan of the Year 2018.
Nigeria records a sharp decrease in access to piped water in urban areas, as a result of rapid urbanization, lack of investment, poor prioritization of piped water delivery and institutional constraints in the expansion of services.
This issue puts the country on a low point in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 6 which advocates for clean and sustainable water for all. Undoubtedly, increasing access to WASH aids economic development, poverty reduction, education (particularly for girls), health outcomes and many more.
Connected Development, is collaborating with community-based organisations, State Media Organizations, the WASH Customer Forums and other WASH groups in Taraba State to support civic advocacy, and strengthening policy, institutional, and regulatory frameworks for improved WASH services.
