Borno Govt Mulls Upward Review Of Water Tariff
Hajiya Mairo Bunu, Permanent Secretary, Borno State Ministry of Water Resources, says the state government is considering an upward review of water tariffs in line with current realities.
Bunu made this known at a stakeholders dialogue session on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on water, on Thursday in Maiduguri.
The forum was organised under the Small Town Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (SWASH) programme funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in collaboration with Mercy Corps and WaterAid.
The programme is being implemented in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.
Bunu said that the N300 monthly tariff being charged per household was grossly inadequate.
The review, she said, was imperative to ensure a sustainable and steady supply of quality water to the people.
She said that neighbouring states charged between N2,000 to N3,000 tariff for water supply, and stressed the for the people of the state to show understanding on the proposed upward review of water tariff.
The permanent secretary listed other factors affecting water supply in the state to include security challenges that led to the destruction of water facilities, delays in approval for the review of WASH and lack of skilled staff.
While reiterating the commitment of the state government to accord priority to WASH, Bunu said that the programme was factored into the state’s 25-year Development Framework and 10-year Strategic Transformation Plan.
In his remarks, Mr Dare Oduluyi, WASH Specialist in the state, said that STWASH is a five-year programme to be implemented with funding from the USAID, Mercy Corps and WaterAid.
“The aim of the programme is to enhance access to WASH facilities, strengthen WASH governance, promote economic recovery and peace in the North-East.
“It will contribute to achieve health, education, livelihoods and address poverty while leaving no one behind,” Oduluyi said.
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