ADDIS ABABA- Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy announced that currently, more than 68 million Ethiopians have access to potable water and sanitation services.
Dr. Eng. Seleshi Bekele, Minister of Water, Irrigation, and Energy told The Ethiopian Herald that water supply expansion projects, undertaken in collaboration with development partners and stakeholders, have made significant contributions in improving Ethiopians’ access to potable water.
While there are still millions of Ethiopians without having access to potable water, “the government has been striving to scale up and improve water and sanitation services by strengthening its financial and technical capacity,” he said. As to him, expansion of infra structure, housing development, a rapidly growing population, and industrial development have significantly increased the demand for water, as to him.
Satisfying the growing demand requires effective regulatory frameworks and capable water institutions with strong coordination mechanisms as well as an attitudinal change to ensure efficient utilization of the country’s water resources, he stated.
“Increasing water supply alone cannot achieve the expected outcome as ensuring adequate sanitation services and solutions are also crucial. To sustain the gains and ensure their impact, the issues of water quality, efficiency, service delivery and most notably, sanitation service should be considered.”
The Ethiopian Herald, January 3/2019
BY TSEGAYE TILAHUN
