Water Resources Ministry moves to boost penetration of WASH policy

Water Resources Ministry moves to boost penetration of WASH policy

The Federal Ministry of Water Resources, yesterday, moved to boost the penetration of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, WASH, policy across the country.

The move is predicated on the fact that more should be done based on the Terms of Reference, ToR, of the Technical Committee for the Development of National WASH Policy and Implementation Strategy.

Speaking during meeting of the Ministry and relevant stakeholders to review comments and suggestions on shared Terms of Reference of the Technical Committee, the Director, Water Supply, Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Chairman, Technical Committee, Engr Nicholas Madu, while declaring the meeting open, expressed optimism that based on the meeting they are poised to advance the WASH policy.

Madu said: “The meeting today is a testament to the fact that we are poised to advance the development of this National WASH Policy and to use this opportunity to thank all the Technical Committee members for this tremendous achievement.”

However, Madu reminded members of the Committee that their main task was to further galvanize efforts made and dissect all relevant sections of the ToR.

According to him, the Ministry is on the verge of engaging a suitable consulting firm for the review process, which is expected to accommodate relevant contributions from all over the world.

Meanwhile, he pointed out that improved WASH services have a multi-layered impact towards other human development outcomes including poverty reduction and inclusive growth, safe drinking Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, WASH, and reiterated that these are fundamental to healthier standards of living for Nigerians and the unborn.

He added that it was on this premise the Federal Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment and other relevant stakeholders reengineered efforts towards the development of a comprehensive National WASH Policy and Implementation Strategy to address the perceived imbalance in WASH service delivery throughout the country.

There were goodwill messages from WaterAid, World Bank and UNICEF respectively, while in attendance were members of the Committee both physically and virtually who were drawn from about 30 Agencies, line Ministries, and Parastatals, the Academia, Civil Society Groups, Organized Private Sector on WASH (OPS-WASH), Development Partners and the Media.