By Fasalie S. Kamara
Minister of Water Resources, Momodu Maligie says Sierra Leone is set to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) target in water supply. Addressing his maiden news conference since his appointment, Maligie said the country was responding to the MDG target by increasing the supply of treated water to 74% by 2015. He said at present 57% had access to treated water nationwide with only 37% in the rural areas.
The minister said there was now a water treatment facility project for every district headquarter town, stressing that for “Bo, Kenema and Makeni, we have signed an AfDB project for water treatment facilities”. He said Bo would “soon” have pipe-borne water.
Maligie told the news conference that a number of water projects were ready for commissioning starting with Pujehun in October.
He urged the Guma Valley Water Company and the Sierra Leone Water Company to “think of the supply of water in business sense”. He said that in the past, Guma Valley generated between Le 300 million and Le 400 million a month of which 61% was unaccounted for.
The minister said that since he took over Guma had been able to generate Le 1.8 billion a month, adding however that there had been “a general lack of focus of attention in both the management and operation of water supply”.
The minister said that his ministry was taking a new legislation to parliament for the enactment of an Electricity and Water Regulatory Commission to be charged with the regulation of both utility services.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Water Resources, Charles Kamanda said that sustainable water supply had been absent in the past which he said was the reason for the launch of the WASH policy in 2011 which was supported by AfDB, IDB,DFID JICA, World Bank and other development partners.
Asked if the risk didn’t exist that like in Bolivia the people would demonstrate against the government for selling water, the Permanent Secretary responded that “these are two different examples. The Bolivians then privatized water including rain water that dropped off from the roof…as a government we will not go that way”.
On whether water will be sold, he replied: “no way, the supply of water is going to be free”.
© Politico 26/09/13
