ASABA/Nigeria: In a determined effort to provide clean drinking water and eliminate open defecation in rural areas of Delta State, the Federal Project Implementing Unit of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources has commenced supervising the construction and rehabilitation of water and sanitation facilities.
As part of their quarterly monitoring of projects to assess progress, a federal project monitoring team recently visited the state and expressed satisfaction with the commitment of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) to the Sustainable Rural Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (SURWASH) program.
Mrs. Damilola Akomolàfe, speaking on behalf of the monitoring team, emphasized the importance for implementing agencies to adhere to the process and standards set by the World Bank. She stated that such compliance would ensure the viability and sustainability of the projects.
Mrs. Akomolàfe, a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer from the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, highlighted that projects failing to meet the World Bank specifications would not receive disbursements from the Bank. Each project’s specifications are tailored to meet the specific needs of different localities, as not all projects are of the same capacity.
While commending Delta RUWASSA for their excellent documentation, Mrs. Akomolàfe urged the agencies to ensure the full implementation of all programs and projects related to SURWASH.
In response, the General Manager of RUWASSA, Engineer Clement Adiotomre, represented by the Director of Procurement, Research, and Statistics, Mr. Ochuko Asore, expressed gratitude to the Federal Project Implementing Unit team for their diligent monitoring of projects undertaken by Delta RUWASSA and other agencies in the state. He acknowledged that their frequent oversight has significantly improved the quality of these projects in various communities.
Furthermore, the General Manager assured the monitoring team that Delta RUWASSA would continue to abide by the World Bank’s standards and specifications in their ongoing projects. They are committed to working with the baseline and feasibility study enlisted in the Bill of Quantities (BOQ) to ensure the successful completion of the projects.
Subsequently, the Federal Monitoring team, led by the Delta RUWASSA team, conducted an inspection visit to an ongoing sanitation project under the SURWASH program at Ogbe-Ogume Model Primary School in Ogume, Ndokwa West local government area of the state. The purpose of the visit was to ascertain compliance with World Bank specifications.
Aliu Mohammed, the Technical Assistant Monitoring and Evaluation Officer from the Federal Project Implementing Unit, expressed satisfaction with the project and emphasized the importance of considering the needs of people living with disabilities during the construction of sanitation projects. He praised Delta RUWASSA for their commendable efforts in this regard.
