By Mabinty M. Kamara
With water being an essential component in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic, Sierra Leone's Finance Minister, Jacob Jusu Saffa, has paid an unannounced visit to the water treatment plants of the Sierra Leone Water Company (SALWACO) in the provinces.
Minister Saffa was accompanied by SALWACO's Managing Director, Joseph Munda Sandy, on the tour that took him to four district headquarters towns: Bo, Kailahun, Kenema and Moyamba.
The visit, according to a statement from SALWACO, was meant to give the minister an insight into the constraints the company faces in its effort to fulfill its mandate of providing water to the population.
A spokesman for SALWACO told Politico that the company acknowledged the importance of providing rural communities with safe and affordable drinking water especially at a time when Coronavirus, also known as Covid-19, is ravaging the world.
"President Julius Maada Bio, at the start of this year, declared the year 2020 as a year of delivery. All Ministries, Departments and Agencies were tasked to put together a clear plan of action in line with the government's development agenda. SALWACO, on its part, had tasked itself to provide access to clean, affordable and safe drinking water for rural communities in line with its set mandate," said Victoria Saffa, Public Relations Officer of SALWACO.
According to the SALWACO spokesman, the visit by the minister and the company’s top management was part of an ongoing event that has seen them visit communities to understand the challenges they face in accessing water.
At the end of the latest tour, Minister Saffa is said to have commended the SALWACO management and team, especially the Minister of Water Resources and the Managing Director, for their efforts in ensuring that water is made available to the communities within their operational areas.
“As we continue to fight the Coronavirus, water is key in this direction and there is no way we can fight the virus if we do not provide water for our people. It is water that is used frequently for the prescribed hand washing, but also for domestic purposes. If we are to win this war against corona virus, water must be provided always,” the Finance Minister was quoted in a statement released by SALWACO to Politico.
"Let us make sure we sustain this gain even after the coronavirus and make sure that water is always available for our people," he added.
The Minister also acknowledged the difficulties in providing water for the rural poor communities, considering finances, logistics and the human resources that is required to do so.
In his statement, the Bo Station Manager, Ing. Lansana Ba Sawi, stated that one of the major challenges faced by most of the SALWACO Stations is access to power, noting that water cannot be distributed without energy and therefore called on the Minister of Finance to help them get enough energy supply.
Manager Braima Allieu and Ing. Abu Bakarr Kebbie at the SALWACO Water treatment plant in Kailahun highlighted challenges that they are faced with at the station there. Kebbie stated that the service Reservoir was too small to hold enough water to supply the township. He also highlighted the faulty pump at the intake, noting that the network was also not wide enough to cover the whole town, especially with the expansion of the town.
Some other challenges the station is dealing with, according to its management, include lack of office space and vehicles.
The SALWACO Managing Director said that with what the Minister had seen, he was sure that he would have no doubt in disbursing funds to the water sector, especially to SALWACO.
“We have set ourselves in line with this year’s declaration as the year of delivery. The provision of clean drinking water takes away water borne diseases from communities; help reduce teenage pregnancies, keep girls in school and keep our communities healthy. We will continue in this direction", Sandi noted.
The SALWACO boss concluded by revealing plans to expand water supply to the rest of the country, notably the planned launch of the Six Towns Water Supply Project that include Kailahun, Pujehun, Moyamba in the South East and Kambia, Kabala and Magburaka in the North. The project, he explained, would provide 24hrs uninterrupted pipe-borne water supply to the listed towns.
The Minister of Finance is expected to tour other SALWACO treatment plants in the northern region.
Copyright © 2020 Politico Online
