World water Day Celebrated
ADDIS ABABA – Meeting the target of the first phase of the One Wash National Program (OWNP), the government has yesterday launched the phase II that will significantly contribute to fill the water supply and sanitation gaps both in urban and rural settings.
In collaboration with water sector actors, the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy (MoWIE) marked the World Water Day here yesterday for 26th time at national level with the theme ‘Leaving No One Behind’.
State Minister of MoWIE Dr. Negash Wagesho said that the celebration of World Water Day is accompanied by the vision sets on strengthening the on-going efforts of providing safe and clean water supply and sanitation to the very disadvantaged and marginalized segments of the society,
“Despite massive efforts undertaken during the past years; too many people still lack access to safely managed water supply and sanitation facilities. The country has now launched the OWNP phase II program document which will serve for the next 5 years from 2019-2024 to realize the target of ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all as set under the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal,” Dr. Negash stated.
In Ethiopia, nearly one-third of the total population either access safe water below the national standard or been forced to use unsafe sources for domestic uses, he disclosed.
According to UNICEF, billions of people are still living without safe water – their households, schools, workplaces, farms and factories struggling to survive and thrive. Women, children, refugees, disabled people and many others – are often overlooked, as they try to access and manage the safe water they need.
In this regard, “water resources are becoming increasingly scarce as a result of population growth and other similar factors. Thus, aggressive development in the water sector is imperative to properly use the nation’s water resources,” Director General of the Ethiopian Water Technology Institute (EWTI) Tamene Hailu told The Ethiopian Herald.
As to him, the government has been making efforts on human resource development in the water sector to improve the quality of decision making, performance and efficiency in the sector. His Institute is promoting the implementation of water technologies and increasing the number of professionals in vocational colleges across the nation, he added.
The improvement, modernization and efficient management of capacity building trainings at local level are vital for bringing radical changes in the sector, Tamene also said.
Institute’s Corporate Communication Head Wasihun Alemayehu for his part said that EWTI realizes nationwide rapid development in the water sector through providing capacity building trainings, conducting research and study, and building specialized laboratory for technology transfer among others.
The institute also strives to make good and effective relationships among various organizations which need technical and material supports in relation with water technology developments, Wasihun added.
The Ethiopian Herald March 23/2019
BY ZELALEM GIRMA
