President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration came up with Partnership for Expanded Water Supply, Sanitation, Hygiene, (PEWASH) initiative to resolve the challenge of lack of access to potable water in Nigeria. Since 2016, 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have keyed into the initiative with substantive results to show for it, JOHN OBA writes.
As part of the developmental target of the United Nations on Sustainable water supply by 2030, Goal 6 expects that countries globally by 2030, would have achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all; achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations and improve water quality by reducing pollution.
They are also expected to eliminate dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, as well as halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally among many others.
Nigeria as a signatory to the SDG’s commenced activities with its stakeholders in the water sector to address the problem of water in Nigeria.
As part of efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 before the stipulated 2030, the administration of former President Buhari launched the PEWASH and also unveiled the National Water Resources and National Irrigation Policies in 2016. Since then, 34 states and the FCT have keyed into the programme with the absence of Rivers State.
The PEWASH programme is designed for the improvement of rural water supply and sanitation, to address the pathetic situation of reported increase in the number of people dying from avoidable water and sanitation related diseases. Hence PEWASH programme is an opportunity to improve access to potable water supply for rural communities.
Achievements
According to the report released recently by the Water Supply and Support Services department, Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, the programme conceptualized and launched by the Federal Government on 7th November, 2016, as a national collaborative and partnership intervention between key stakeholders, to increase access to water supply and sanitation in Nigeria towards achieving the SDG 6.1 and 6.2, by 2030 in the rural areas is achieving it purposes.
Within the first two years of the programme, implementation commenced with two pilot states of Kano and Ogun, from 2017 – 2019, with selection based on quick response to signing of the PEWASH Protocol (PP). During the pilot, the report reveals that the ministry constructed, rehabilitated, upgraded water supply facilities in 8 LGAs (4 in each state).
The achievement of the report shows that the programme focused on “Out-put” (Projects) instead of “Input” (Funds) in the rural water supply and sanitation financing, providing an opportunity to transform the WASH sector to deliver results at required scale by adopting “Counterpart Matching Projects”.
In seven years, 3,321 facilities serving an estimated population of about 5,262,189 people across 19 states of the federation have been constructed.
According to the report, since inception of the programme, 35 State Governments and FCT have signed the PEWASH Protocol (PP), with Rivers State outstanding.
“Under the FGN PEWASH Component, it has constructed, rehabilitated and upgraded 2,046 water supply facilities in 19 States of: Kano, Ogun, Bauchi, Osun, Ondo, Jigawa, Plateau, Ekiti, Gombe, Kaduna, Cross River, Kwara, Delta, Katsina, Oyo Sokoto and Nasarawa States, and serving an estimated population of about 5,262,189 people.
“Under the State PEWASH Component, they have constructed, rehabilitated and upgraded a total number of 1,275 facilities and 761 sanitation facilities, serving an estimated population of about 1,533,189 people, with a total of 19 participating States across the 6 geo-political zones.
“The PEWASH programme introduced an innovative technology of sustainable drinking water solutions in Kano and Ogun States, with construction of five (5) Nos. Water health Centres in Ogun State in 5 LGAs which were completed and commissioned;
“While additional 5 Nos. AQtap Water Kiosks Dispenser with integrated revenue collection in 5 LGAs of Kano State, are still ongoing in Nasarawa, Fagge, Dala, Ungogo, and Kumbotso LGAs;
“The PEWASH is in partnership with the RBDAs to expand coverage. The 12 RBDAs have established “PEWASH Desk” offices;
“The Desk Officers have furnished the PEWASH Office with data from their various Agencies, where it was reported that they constructed/rehabilitated over 10,000 water supply facilities and 206 public sanitation facilities,” the report shows.
The PEWASH programme introduced an innovative technology of sustainable drinking water solutions in Kano and Ogun States, with construction of five numbers. Water health Centres in Ogun State in five LGAs which were completed and commissioned; while additional five numbers AQtap Water Kiosks Dispenser with integrated revenue collection in 5 LGAs of Kano State, are still ongoing in Nasarawa, Fagge, Dala, Ungogo, and Kumbotso LGAs;
The PEWASH is in partnership with the RBDAs to expand coverage. The 12 RBDAs have established “PEWASH Desk” offices; and the Desk Officers have furnished the PEWASH Office with data from their various Agencies.
Processes
The programme runs on a cost sharing arrangement for both partners. The endorsement of the PEWASH Partnership Agreement (PPA) between the Federal and State Governments symbolises the commencement of the “PEWASH Hard Component” implementation, wherein the “Cost Sharing Arrangement” for both parties was clearly indicated.
Interesting states expressed their interest through a letter to the Federal Government after which both parties signed an agreement for the commencement of the programme in respective states.
Prospects
As part of its 2022/2023 Water Ministry’s counterpart project funding based on PEWASH protocol signed with five State governments, the ministry commenced the construction of 144 simple solar powered boreholes in Kaduna, Katsina, Delta, Gombe and Nasarawa, as contained in the Protocol signed with the five state governments.
Challenges
Despite the successes recorded so far with the programme in the water and sanitation sector, the challenge of poor funding commitment by some states continues to dog the programme.
According to the report, security of WASH facilities in beneficiary communities is another challenge, couple with lack of political will from some state governments, capacity gap at States and LGAs levels; inadequate logistic during projects implementation; lack of sustained sensitization and mobilization of communities/WASHCOMs to secure WASH facilities.
Also, strengthening logistic arrangements during project execution; and timely implementation of the FGN PEWASH Component of the “Counterpart Matching Projects” in participating States, are some of the challenges facing the initiative. There is also interference by the political class among many others.
It is hoped that in the next eight years, with the needed political will and genuine commitment, Nigeria might be able to achieve self-sufficiency in the provision of portable water for its citizenry.
