Experts task govt on improved access to water, sanitation

THE Marketing Director of Brightest Hope Company Limited (BCHL), Segun Olatunji has stressed the need for the commitment from the federal and state government to make it much more of a priority in improving access to water and sanitation.Speaking at the 10th Anniversary of BCHL and launching of Brightest Hope Engineering Service Ltd recently in Lagos, Olatunji explained that 'improving access to water can be difficult because responsibility for water resources management is usually spread across many different parts of the government in developing countries.According to him, no single government department can take the lead, as they often have conflicting view and needs.He stressed that agricultural departments are usually more interested in promoting irrigation and food production, while other ministries will be, more interested in improving the supply of drinking water and sanitation.Olatunji stressed that today, more than two billion people are affected by water shortages in over 40 countries.He urged that government to increase advocacy on behalf of the masses to ensure that their demands are heard, improved responsiveness and accountability of government to meet the needs of all users but especially meet the masses needs.As well as arranging in place to resolve the competing demands for water and other related environmental challenges, appropriated long term financing, improved capacity of governments to facilitate delivery or deliver services to all citizens.'Competing demands and conflicts over rights of access occur amidst the fact that many people still do not have equal access to water and sanitation. It has been described as an impending water crisis.'This has been rightly addressed in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and many other global regional and local-level resolutions', he said.He noted that 'we live in a time where the world faces huge needs and challenges to ensure better access to safe water and sanitation service to billions of people'.Also speaking, Group Managing Director of BCHL, Mrs. Wummi Olatunji added that 'the future is very difficult thing to predict, however, we have always heard that plan less person is only planning to fail.
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