The Katsina State Government in collaboration with the World Bank’s Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH) project, has earmarked the sum of ₦20 billion for water supply and sanitation projects that cut across 10 Local Government Areas of the State.
This is part of measures to tackle water scarcity and ensure that residents have access to quality, portable and sustainable water supply.
The State Commissioner for Water Resources, Dr. Bishir Gambo Saulawa stated this on Wednesday in Katsina during a press conference.
He said the World Bank funded SURWASH project is aimed at improving access to potable water, sanitation and hygiene in the state.
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The commissioner stated that the ₦20 billion allocated for the project, would no doubt enable the state government to drill solar-powered motorised boreholes with 8,000-litre capacity overhead tanks, hand-pumping boreholes and latrines in at least 110 communities across the 10 selected LGAs.
He explained that, already, the State Government, has injected the sum of N5 billion for the implementation of the programme, stating that the procurement plan would cover 10 LGAs in the first phase of the project.
“The Katsina State Government in partnership with the World Bank, has allocated ₦20 billion for various water and sanitation projects in the state. These projects are going to be executed under the SURWASH programme,” he said.
“Already, the state government has invested ₦5 billion for the implementation of the programme. The procurement plan would cover 10 local governments of the state in the first phase.
“But plans are on to extend the programme to other local governments by 2025,” Saulawa noted.
On his part, the Executive Director of the Katsina State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), Abubakar Suleiman, announced that, the solar-powered and hand-pumping boreholes, would be drilled across 90 rural communities in the state.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of the Katsina State Water Board, Dr. Tukur Tingilin disclosed that, part of ₦20 billion, would be used for water pipeline networking in communities across Daura, Malumfashi, Funtua and Dutsinma LGAs.
Ibrahim Lawal-Dankaba, the Executive Director of the Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, also briefed journalists that the agency would build 225 cubic-metre water reservoirs and public water stands across the 10 benefiting LGAs.