By Crispina Cummings
Minister of Water Resources, Momodu Maligi last week in Parliament told the administrators of the Sierra Leone Water Company (SALWACO) to “stop lying” to the committee on energy and water resources as they were under oath.
He made this statement when the administrators were asked about the Mile 91 water project which they said was 50% complete and that pipe-borne water was now in Mile 91. At this point the minister stood up and blasted them.
The parliamentary committee on energy and water resources had summoned SALWACO to answer to questions on projects and the general performance of the institution.
Present in the meeting were the minister for water resources, the acting director general of SALWACO Victor Hasting-Spain, the project director Joe Ben Davies and internal auditor Brian During.
The committee asked Mr Hasting-Spain about a $ 23 million project meant for Bo to which he said Davies should respond as he was the project officer.
Davies told the committee that he was not aware of such a contract and that he only knew of a $61.1 million project funded by AfDB & DfID. He was then asked to explain the disbursement of the money for the project.
He said that only $ 2 million had been given to SALWACO and the $ 59.1 was still in the bank. When asked to give a breakdown of the $ 2 million, the project officer said that on the whole the $61.1 million was meant to build septic tanks in Bo, Kenema and Makeni.
Davies said that Bo was to get $ 19 million as lot one, Kenema $ 23 million, Makeni $23 million and $42 million for wastage tanks. He said the $ 2 million received so far from the bank was used for capacity building.
He also told the committee of a $ 5 million project which was for the construction of 183 institutional toilets with 70 in Bo, 63 in Kenema and 53 in Makeni, adding that the project had kicked off in July 2012.
After all the explanations, Gladys Brima, MP of the opposition SLPP, told the administrators that the “poor performance of SALWACO and the shortage of water in the country” had led to the high percentage of school dropouts, a rise in teenage pregnancy as girls live their homes very early and work very long distance to fetch water. She also said that high infant mortality rate and poor sanitation in the country were caused by the lack of water.
