Muhammad Garba
The United States of America International Development partner (USAID) has spent over $3.5 million to provide access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities to over 76,000 residents across 57 rural communities in Kano and Jigawa states.
The USAID Chief of Party, Mr. Simeon Nyiakaa revealed this while speaking during a handing over ceremony of the project to the beneficiaries’ communities in Dutse, capital of Jigawa state.
He said the 3 years Water Improvement and Sanitation Enhancement (WISE) was 100 percent funded by USAID and executed in collaboration with Jigawa and Kano state governments.
He explained that 98 improved water facilities including 62 hand pump boreholes and 36 motorized solar-powered boreholes were constructed including 51 at school and health facilities across the 57 beneficiaries communities.
“The facilities have now provided access to clean drinking water to over 76,000 rural communities’ residents and hygiene facilities and mechanisms for personal and environmental hygiene.
“We also built the capacity of the communities on how to jointly maintain the facilities and promote hygienic culture, this included, training 102 artisans for the construction of pit latrines, 62 people trained on mechanical maintenance of the water facilities, mentored the communities on resources mobilization for enhancing their social and economic life,” he stated.
He also commended the Kano and Jigawa state governments for providing an enabling environment for executing the project which infected thousands of people’s lives and planted seeds of hope for a better future.
Speaking at the occasion the Jigawa state governor Malam Umar Namadi who was represented by the state Commissioner of water resources’, Hon. Garba Hanun Giwa thanked the USAID for their kind intervention which complemented the government effort in providing access to portable drinking water to all people of the state.
“The project has also supported Jigawa state in attaining the stage of being a “Free Open Defecation” state, and we assumed you that we will do everything possible to sustain the project and expand it to ensure a healthy society” the commissioner stated.
However, representatives of Women groups, Civil Societies, and Traditional Rulers from the beneficiary communities have testified to the positive impact of the project on their Public health social, and economic life and vowed to sustain and promote it for future generations.
