The Delta State Government, yesterday, said it is working on plans to access a $20 million grant under the World Bank Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH) programme.
Delta State Commissioner for Water Resources, Mr Samuel Mariette, said this when a team of officials from the World Bank and the Federal Ministry of Water Resources paid a courtesy visit to the state Governor-elect, Chief Sheriff Oborevwori, in Asaba, the state capital.
Mariere said the SURWASH programme is geared toward providing the people with portable drinking water as well as access to improved sanitation services.
He added that the programme is a six-year programme, which had just commenced in the state.
“Recently, the sum of $1 million was released to the state for the initial advance which we have already started putting into use.
“Although, we just got the money last week, but we have been able to award the first set of contracts.
“We succeeded in awarding the Asaba/Okpanam/Ibuza Urban Water Supply project because it is actually not right that Asaba, the state capital, does not have access to clean water.
“Every household that drinks that water will have access to $75 and this is a good result for us as a state,” he said.
He also said the state intended to go into Public Private Partnership (PPP) where the contractor would run the project for one year.
Every household that drinks that water will have access to $75 and this is a good result for us as a state.
Mariere also said aside from the Asaba/Okpanam/Ibuza water supply project, the state has other rural water projects to be implemented under the SURWASH programme.
On his part, the Task Team Leader from World Bank, Mr Garard Soppe, said the delegation was in the state to discuss the way forward toward the first 100 days in office of the governor-elect.
“We are in Delta because the state is ahead of the six other states where the SURWASH programme is being implemented in the country.
“And we also wished to discuss way forward to your first 100 days in office,” he added.
Responding, Oborevwori said his administration would partner with the World Bank in its small, medium, and long-term development programmes.
“My meeting with you people is a good start and if this project is what we can achieve in my first 100 days in office, we will support it,” he said.
