Bauchi Govt. RUWASA, UNICEF Partner on Clean, Safe Water in 4 LGAs
By Idris Ayinde
The Bauchi State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA) has stressed the need for increased investment and collaboration to address challenges affecting access to safe and clean drinking water.
The General Manager of RUWASA, Mr Ismaila El-Pateh, said this at a stakeholders’ meeting on water quality assessment in Bauchi State.
He said that the meeting was aimed at generating evidence on water quality to guide government policies and interventions.
El-Pateh expressed concern that many water sources in the state were unsafe for human consumption.
He said that RUWASA, in collaboration with UNICEF, was conducting water quality assessments in four selected Local Government Areas (LGAs), namely Ganjuwa, Gamawa, Bauchi and Toro.
According to him, the findings will help determine appropriate interventions and policy measures to improve access to safe drinking water.
Also speaking, UNICEF WASH Officer, Ms Nanbam Dawap, said that the organisation was working towards developing its next Country Programme.
Dawap said the meeting was timely, noting that the 2021 WASHNORM report indicated that about 78 per cent of drinking water sources in Bauchi State were contaminated with E. coli.
She described the finding as a major concern requiring urgent attention and a better understanding of the challenges affecting water quality.
She said that the assessment would go beyond sample collection to generate evidence on the extent of contamination and its possible sources.
According to her, the exercise would cover different stages of the water supply chain, including public water sources, collection points and household storage facilities.
She said that it would help determine whether contamination occurred at the source, during collection, transportation or household storage.
Dawap said the findings would provide evidence for identifying gaps, informing policy decisions, strengthening water quality monitoring and guiding investments in the sector.
Speaking on behalf of the Local Government Chairmen, Bauchi Local Government Chairman, Mr Umar Aliyu, pledged their commitment to supporting the initiative.
He said that the councils would strengthen efforts to improve water, sanitation and hygiene services in their respective areas.
Cross section of stakeholders at the meeting also called for the inclusion of the proposed Water Summit in the 2027 budget to ensure adequate funding and effective implementation of its resolutions.
Participants further urged the participating Local Government Chairmen to extend the initiative to their counterparts across the 20 LGAs to promote wider participation and collective commitment.
