Bauchi State Govt. and UNICEF commences water safety plan in 20 Bogoro communities

Bauchi State Government, through the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, RUWASSA, in collaboration with UNICEF and the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, has begun implementing a comprehensive Water Safety Plan in 20 communities across Bogoro Local Government Area.

The Water Quality and Control Officer at RUWASSA, Abubakar Abdullahi, announced this during a two-day climate-resilience community water safety planning refresher training for WASH officers, held at the Bogoro Local Government Council chamber.

Abubakar Abdullahi said the initiative is aimed at improving awareness on safe water handling from the point of collection to household storage, to ensure access to clean drinking water.

He explained that the project uses practical demonstrations to teach households proper water handling and sanitation practices.

He disclosed that UNICEF has supplied more than 55 water testing kits to support the exercise, adding that the kits will help communities understand the difference between clean and contaminated water and the importance of hygiene.

Abubakar Abdullahi stressed the need for communities to take ownership of water facilities to sustain sanitation efforts.

He also commended the Bogoro WASH directorate for ensuring that water sources are protected from contamination and for maintaining regular sanitation activities in the communities.

A representative of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Harira Aliyu Abubakar, said the training will equip officers with global best practices for promoting water safety.

She identified poor household storage as a major cause of water contamination but commended some communities for adhering to water safety guidelines.

Harira Aliyu also noted that Bogoro is one of six local government areas selected to benefit from the joint RUWASSA and Federal Ministry of Water Resources programme.

In his remarks, the local government WASH Coordinator, Timothy Bitrus, reaffirmed the commitment of the directorate to accelerate progress in the WASH sector and urged participants to strictly follow the measures outlined during the training.

Responding, the Chairman of Bogoro Local Government Area, Yakubu Lawi Sumi, represented by the Head of Administration, Alhaji Bala Mohammed Garba, reiterated the council’s commitment to providing safe and accessible water to reduce waterborne diseases.

He said the administration has repaired more than 200 abandoned boreholes within one year, restoring them to full operation.

The chairman also pledged support for the full take-off of the WASH directorate to enhance the implementation of government policies.

He commended the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Governor Bala Mohammed, and RUWASSA for the successful implementation of the Sustainable Urban and Rural Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programme in the area.