ADDIS ABABA –Over six million citizens are benefiting each year from the ever expanding water projects since the reform, Ministry of Water and Energy (MoWE)announced.
In a presser, MoWE Minister Eng. Habtamu Itefa (PhD) said that the government is doubling water projects each year considering the limited accessibility of potable water.
“Five years ago, the capacity to reach [new beneficiaries] of clean water was limited to two or three million in a year. Now, we have reached at the capacity of benefiting about 6.2 million people per year,”he said.
For him, the government endeavor is to resolve the paradox between the abundant resources and limited potable water supply. The government is expanding pure water supply by improving its project executing performance and cooperating with partners including NGOs, he emphasized.
Country’s water development projects have seen remarkable progress since the last five years. “The water development is not relied only on building new projects, but we are also restoring damaged infrastructures too,” Habtamu noted.
In spite of the progress, the number of people in need of access to clear water is still high, he said, adding that ten millions of citizens are demanding clean water in urban areas alone. Considering this demand, he stated the Ministry is coordinating all concerned public and private sectors to build water projects.
“Potable water development projects are among top priority of the government.” He further said that hydro-electric and irrigation dams, which are also part of water development projects, are being constructed with better performance than that has been experienced before the reform.
The Ethiopian Herald March 17/2024
