Water ministry needs sh120b
Apr 12, 2010
THE water ministry needs sh120b per year to extend safe water to all major towns across the country. Ephraim Kisembo, the commissioner for water regulatory affairs, said the ministry gets about sh60b for the urban water sub-sector per year.
By David Ssempijja
THE water ministry needs sh120b per year to extend safe water to all major towns across the country. Ephraim Kisembo, the commissioner for water regulatory affairs, said the ministry gets about sh60b for the urban water sub-sector per year.
“This is inadequate. If it is doubled to sh120b, we extend safe water to all towns by 2015,†he added. Kisembo said it was becoming difficult to provide safe water, especially in towns, because of the high rate of rural-urban migration. He added that his ministry was also constrained by the dwindling public sector financing for water and sanitation.
“Whereas the national budgetary allocations to sectors like power, roads and education have been increasing over time, that of water and sanitation has decreased from about 5% in 2004/05 to 2.7% in 2008/09,†he said.
Safe water coverage, according to Kisembo, is estimated at 66%. “This can only be improved through increased funding for the public-private partnerships for water development.â€
He added that Uganda’s population was at over 30 million people, up from 14 million in 1986, and was expected to hit 38 million people by 2015.
The number of towns has increased to 215, from 37 over the same period, 1986 to 2010, he added. The National Water and Sewerage Corporation had only 50,000 connections in 1986 compared with over 290,000 connections to date.
Kisembo was speaking at the launch of a training workshop for the water sector stakeholders at the Lake Victoria Serena Resort in Entebbe. It was aimed at enhancing their capacities to supervise and monitor the performance and management of contracts as part of the sector’s small-scale infrastructure providers programme.
The training was organised by the International Finance Corporation, the private leading arm of the World Bank and water ministry, and financed by the Austrian Development Agency.
Dan Kasirye, the IFC senior investment officer, said the training would boost understanding of the structuring and management of public-private partnerships and increase private sector involvement in the water sector.
This, he added, would improve access to clean water in the country. “The goal of this training is to improve service delivery standards, particularly in water supply systems in small towns. We are also committed to supporting the Government’s efforts to expand the supply of clean water to small towns.â€
The programme will also facilitate access to finance for private operators from local banks to increase funding for piped water projects in small towns.
THE water ministry needs sh120b per year to extend safe water to all major towns across the country. Ephraim Kisembo, the commissioner for water regulatory affairs, said the ministry gets about sh60b for the urban water sub-sector per year.
“This is inadequate. If it is doubled to sh120b, we extend safe water to all towns by 2015,†he added. Kisembo said it was becoming difficult to provide safe water, especially in towns, because of the high rate of rural-urban migration. He added that his ministry was also constrained by the dwindling public sector financing for water and sanitation.
“Whereas the national budgetary allocations to sectors like power, roads and education have been increasing over time, that of water and sanitation has decreased from about 5% in 2004/05 to 2.7% in 2008/09,†he said.
Safe water coverage, according to Kisembo, is estimated at 66%. “This can only be improved through increased funding for the public-private partnerships for water development.â€
He added that Uganda’s population was at over 30 million people, up from 14 million in 1986, and was expected to hit 38 million people by 2015.
The number of towns has increased to 215, from 37 over the same period, 1986 to 2010, he added. The National Water and Sewerage Corporation had only 50,000 connections in 1986 compared with over 290,000 connections to date.
Kisembo was speaking at the launch of a training workshop for the water sector stakeholders at the Lake Victoria Serena Resort in Entebbe. It was aimed at enhancing their capacities to supervise and monitor the performance and management of contracts as part of the sector’s small-scale infrastructure providers programme.
The training was organised by the International Finance Corporation, the private leading arm of the World Bank and water ministry, and financed by the Austrian Development Agency.
Dan Kasirye, the IFC senior investment officer, said the training would boost understanding of the structuring and management of public-private partnerships and increase private sector involvement in the water sector.
This, he added, would improve access to clean water in the country. “The goal of this training is to improve service delivery standards, particularly in water supply systems in small towns. We are also committed to supporting the Government’s efforts to expand the supply of clean water to small towns.â€
The programme will also facilitate access to finance for private operators from local banks to increase funding for piped water projects in small towns.