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Around Africa
Address Water Rows
Kenya
Water Authority Warns Counties against Claiming
Ownership of Water Sources
The Water Resources Management
Authority (WRMA) has warned counties
and communities against claiming
ownership of rivers in their localities.
WRMA said this was intended to
ensure there are no conflicts over water
resources in the country.
WRMA Chief Executive Officer
Eng.Philip Olum, said water
resources were a government
function, adding that it was
against the law for counties and
communities to claim ownership
of rivers and other water sources.
He revealed that the Authority
had been facing water conflicts
Eng.Philip Olum
in the Athi catchment area after
communities living upstream used large volumes of water,
denying communities downstream the commodity.
The WRMA boss said serious water conflicts had occurred
in Laikipia, Murang’a and Meru among others due to some
communities using much of the water without caring for
other communities.
“We have experienced some deaths due to communities
fighting over the water resources,” he said, adding that the
conflicts could be addressed through equitable share of
the resources.
Eng. Olum said there was need for communities living near
rivers to share water with communities without sources
of fresh water to enable all Kenyans access the essential
commodity.
Concerning counties which were planning to impose fees
on those without fresh water, the WRMA boss said it was
against the law for them to charge for water supplied to
other counties.
“There is no county which owns water resources as it
is WRMA which manages the water on behalf of the
national government,” he said.
Eng.Olum explained that only public water companies are
under the counties while the water resources are under the
national government.
Speaking to journalists recently at Travelers Beach Hotel,
Mombasa, the WRMA official also warned the county
chiefs against interfering with regional water boards.
Eng. Olum was reacting to coastal counties which were
planning to establish their own regional water board to
replace the Coast Water Services Board (CWSB).
County chiefs in the region had proposed to form a
regional water board after the CWSB had cut off water
supply due to failure by water firms to clear more than Sh1
billion debt.
In 2015, Kilifi, Kwale and Taita Taveta counties were
on the verge of imposing levies on water supplied to
Mombasa County.
The county does not have sources of fresh water and
depend on supply from the neighbouring counties.
A Water Resources Users Association representative from
Amboseli, Koikai Oloitiptip called on WRMA to ensure
equitable share of water from the Athi catchment to
address water rows.
Nigeria
50 Million Nigerians Lack Access to Water - Minister
Abuja — About 50 million
Nigerians lack access to water,
Eng. Suleiman Adamu, Water
Resources Minister, has said.
He, however, stated that his
administration was projecting
year 2030 as the period to supply
water to all.
Eng. Suleiman Adamu
Briefing Journalists in Abuja,
after a private meeting with
President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa
yesterday, Adamu hinted that his Ministry would at the
National Council on Water Resources meeting next week
unveil in detail a programme aimed at realizing total water
supply, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals,
SGDs, of the United Nations.
He said: “I had my marching order on November 11, 2015,
when I was sworn-in. What we are doing is just to fulfil the
marching order.
“At the end of the day, we want to see water resources
sector is doing what it is supposed to do. We have coverage
of water supply and sanitation.
We want to meet the SDG goals before 2030. We need to
meet the target for open defecation by 2025 because we
have subscribed to that. These are some of the targets.
“For these programmes, we have projected some
programmes for four years and others, five years up to the
year 2030.
Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • May - June 2016
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