CSOs implore stakeholders to leverage Enugu water law to tackle crisis in sector – Nexus News
An organization of 23 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Enugu State, yesterday, tasked stakeholders in the water sector to leverage the water law to tackle the water crisis in the state.
The group, under the aegis of WASH Rights Network (WRN), during a stakeholders’ engagement on the 2021 Enugu State water law, said it might not attain desired objectives without stakeholders’ participation in its implementation.
The law was approved by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on August 3, 2021, after the State House of Assembly passed it.
Coordinator, WRN, Mrs. Amaka Nweke, said: “Having the law in place may not achieve the goal of ensuring that people of Enugu have access to portable and clean water.”
She said that the engagement is needed to review implementation of the law so far; possible challenges the government may face in imposing it and how they could be resolved.
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State Programme Lead, WaterAid, Solomon Akpanfot, said that the organization worked with other important stakeholders to put the law together and ensured its approval last year based on its belief that clean water and basic hygiene are the right of everyone.
He said that the water law listed various duties expected of the government and citizenry for sustainable access to water and hygiene in the state, emphasizing that if well implemented, it would resolve the water crisis in the state.
He said that it provided for development, construction, control, operation and maintenance of new water works and equipment for the aim of providing wholesome, portable water consumption for private and public use.
“It ensures compliance with regulation and standard, as well as receives and pursues complaints from consumers on quality of water, leakages, damages in water connection and illegal charges.
“It undertakes design and construction of new water and sanitation services assets, WASH education and creates awareness of WASH principles in rural areas among others,” he added.
