By Olamilekan FAWAS
Anambra State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) has enjoined communities to take ownership of water projects in their domains by securing them.
RUWASSA Programme Manager, Mr. Victor Ezekwo, made the call at a Media Dialogue on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Akwa on Wednesday.
The dialogue was organised by the European Union (EU)/United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with the Child Rights Information Bureau of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture.
Ezekwo, who frowned at the rate of vandalism and theft of water pumps in some communities in the state, identified community ownership of such projects as key in curbing the menace.
The manager emphasised the need to involve the communities in such projects to guarantee their safety. He further noted that community ownership of such projects was important to the sustainability of water projects for proper maintenance.
According to him, through such measures, host communities will do everything possible to protect them from vandals and thieves.
The manager, however, urged perpetrators of such acts to desist so that the people would benefit from the projects.
“The issue of theft of borehole pumps is rampant. We have put anti-theft protection so that the solar pumps or other pumps used for the boreholes will be well protected.
“But ownership is key and the only way to achieve that is when we involve the beneficiaries from the onset to the finishing stage and also mentor them on the importance of securing the facilities.
“We observed over time that most of the water and sanitation facilities provided for communities were not properly handed over to the beneficiaries.
“So, we looked at it that one of the sustainability processes is to involve them from conception stage be it a new water project or rehabilitated one. There is need to integrate, inform and carry them along in the project,” Ezekwo said.
