By Leo Odera Omolo
A major water and sanitation project covering 15 towns in the Lake Victoria basin is just about to kick off.
The project is worth euros 994,000 {USD 1.4 million}.It fall ubder the East African Community {EAC} Lake Victoria Basin Commission and it aims at improving access to clean water and proper disposal of swerage in the towns concern.
Lake Victoria Water and sanitation project, according to the commission’s executive secretary Dr. Tom Okurut will not only address the needs of population in the urban centres, but also contribute to the management of the ecology of Lake Victoria.
An agreement between the Commission and the African Water facility, an arm of the African Development Bank {ADB}, will be signed later this month to facilitate the start of the project. Its first phase will take nine months and will involve urgent action on water and sanitation.
The second phase, according to the commissions whose administrative secretariat is based in the lakeside city of Kisumu, will focus on training while the third one will address long term solutions. The first phase is set to begin in two months time.
Among the interventions included in the project are improvement of water supply and sanitation, solid waste management and drainage as well as training improvement of water supply and sanitation, solid waste management and capacity building and sanitation issues.
Dr.Okurut was also recently quoted as saying that three secondary towns in each of the five member states of the east African community, namely Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi would benefit from the project.
“The towns will be identified during the launching of the first phase and the preparation stage, which will also include preparation of investment plans for the towns.
The executive secretary said that among factors to be considered while selecting the towns are the level of risk that the towns poses to Lake Victoria ecosystem and the willingness of the local communities to pay for water and sanitation services after the infrastructure is set up.
This multimillion shillings targets rapidly growing urban centres in the lake Victoria Basin regions that play6 in increasingly important role in development in the agricultural sector.
“The fragile ecosystem of Lake Victoria also suffers due to pressure,” he said, adding that many waterworks and sanitation projects focus on setting up waterworks while sanitation services are left out or simply ignored.”
In the envisage projects to be undertaken by the Commission in towns, located within the Lake basin regions, the emphasis will be laid on improvement of sanitation in th urban centres and major towns.
Already, another set of water and sanitation projects is on going in Homa-Bay and Kisii towns in Kenya, Mulaba and Bukoba in Tanzania, and Mutukula and Kyotera in Uganda.
The project are being implemented by UN-Habitat. The same UN-Habitat will also be closely involved in the new project and will channel its input through a project steering committee whose membership will also include the EAC This committee will guide the work of the consultants, co-ordinate input by all parties, and supervise the formulkation stage.
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The overall aim of the project, according to Dr. Okuut, is to help achieve the Millenium Development in provision of water supply and management in provision of sanitation services.
The project comes at a time when East African Countries are undergoing radical water-sector reforms aimed at improving performance, having incorporated principles of integrated water resources management in provision of water supply and sanitation services.
Dr. Okurut said the Lake Victoria Basin commission ‘s aim is to provide the development agenda around Lake Victoria using the water resources.
Ends
leoodedaromolo@yahoo.com
lso be closely involved
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Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2008 03:32:52 -0700 (PDT)
From: Leo Odera Omolo
Subject: PAN-AFRICAN BANK TO FINANCE MULTIMILLION SHILLINGS LAKE VICTORIA WATER AND SANITATION PROJECT