By Mohammed Ahmed Kaigama
Bauchi – Network of Civil Society Organisations on Water and Sanitation ( NEWSAN) has called on Bauchi State Government to enforce urban development laws to avoid indiscriminate construction of buildings on water pipelines and other utilities.
Mrs Miriam Iliya, the Coordinator of NEWSAN in the state, made the call on Monday in a statement issued in Bauchi.
She said “as network, we are calling on government to enforce urban development laws to prevent individuals from constructing houses and other facilities on water pipelines and other utilities.
“Urban planning deals with physical layout of human settlements.’’
She said public welfare should be paramount in government’s agenda.
“We are also appealing to the government to complement the water supply intervention with proper sewer management toward eliminating disease outbreak such as cholera and diarrhoea.’’
Mrs Iliya commended the swift response of Gov. Bala Mohammed to the looming crises of water supply in Bauchi metropolis through the inauguration of expansion of urban water supply project.
“This intervention was long overdue as the existing water supply infrastructure is unable to meet the high urbanisation within the metropolis and the suburbs,” she said.
Mrs Iliya also called for judicious utilisation of released funds through proper monitoring to ensure compliance during implementation and in accordance with the design.
She however called for adequate community involvement to ensure ownership and sustainability of the programme.