Katsina Earmarks N17bn For Water Supply

Katsina State government said it has proposed N17 billion to tackle acute shortage of water across the state.

The commissioner for budget and planning, Bello Kagara, disclosed this while playing host to the World Bank delegation of Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH) in his office yesterday. He said the people of the state especially those in rural areas have been complaining of acute shortage of water supply, hence the need for the proposed fund to tackle the challenge.

He spoke through the permanent secretary of the ministry, Abdullahi Abubakar, who reaffirmed, “We have made provision in the 2023 budget, that is the ongoing budget for about N4 billion under SURWASH, and based on the activities we are going to have next year, we have a proposal of about N17 billion.”

Kagara said, “N15 billion under the ministry for water resources, N500 million under State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), N500 million under the State water board, N500 million under Rural Water and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) and N500 under small towns.”

The team leader for the SURWASH project, Awa Diagne, said they were in the state to work with key actors in the project implementation, have a mid-term review of the programme, assess performance, and encourage collaboration.