THE PRIME MINISTER INAUGURATES THE THREE TOWN WATER PROJECTS
The Prime Minister, Dr Pakalitha Mosisili officially inaugurated the Three Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Project at the occasion held in Maputsoe on Friday.
The three towns which the project has been piloted in are Roma, Teya-Teyaneng and Maputsoe.
Speaking at the event, Dr Mosisili said this is one of the biggest projects in the country as it provides clean water and improves sanitation.
He said water is one of the basic human rights to the living things including people, animals and plants, adding that without access to water none of the above mentioned living things can survive.
He said as people migrate to the cities and towns grow, service delivery in sectors like water, sanitation, electricity, roads as well as telecommunications become very limited or scarce hence the need for expansion and rehabilitation of water supply and sanitation in the said areas.
Dr Mosisili said one of the Millennium Development Goals’ (MDGs) policies is to ensure that number of people who do not have access to clean water is reduced by half, saying that with the way things are, Lesotho would have achieved that goal by 2015.
He expressed gratitude to the EU and its Ambassador to Lesotho for cooperation and partnering with the Government of Lesotho, saying this will change Basotho's lives for the better.
He commended the Ministry of Natural Resources and its parastatals for carrying out the project successfully on behalf of the government.
He appealed to communities of the three towns to care, love and protect the project, saying that stealing and vandalizing of equipment hinders communities' development as well as of the country.
Also speaking, Ambassador Hans Duynhouwer said he was delighted to witness the handing over of the project, saying it (project) is another example of the excellent cooperation between the government of Lesotho and EU.
He said this addresses urgent water needs of the people of Roma, TY, and Maputsoe, however noting that it is not a lasting solution as water demand in these three towns will continue to grow.
He said the permanent solution for water supply for these areas must come from Metolong dam and Water Supply project, adding that EU together with USA, World Bank and other donors are important funders of the Metolong project.
Ambassador Duynhouwer noted that the three towns now have access to clean and reliable water, however emphasizing that government is still faced with the challenge of ensuring that houses and villages are connected so that access to clean and safe water becomes a reality for the people.
He commended the country, saying that it is on track to reach the water and sanitation Millennium Development Goal by 2015 of halving the proportion of the population that are without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.
He said EU hoped to continue its partnership with the Government of Lesotho particularly in this important area of water and sanitation.
'I look forward to the day when Lesotho achieves hundred percent access to clean water and sanitation for all its citizens', he concluded.
On the other hand, the Minister of Natural Resources, Mr. Monyane Moleleki mentioned that since April 01, 2011 to date, there are about 25,717 Basotho who have access to clean water and 4,376 who have improved sanitation.
The Member of Parliament for Maputsoe, Mr. Nkhets'e Monyalotsa thanked the Prime Minister through the Government of Lesotho and the Minister of Natural Resources for making water accessible to Maputsoe community and the two towns of Roma and Teya-Teyaneng.
He appealed to Maputsoe community to protect the project as they have worked hard to make it a happen, 'this is for the development of your community and for your own benefit therefore you have to protect it', he said.
The project serves about 130, 000 people in the three towns and has eight pumping stations with a combined pumping capacity of 115litres per second, chlorination and 282,000 metres of pipeline.
It has also rehabilitated and expanded with the installation of at least 2, 908 metres of sewer lines and upgrading of waste water treatment facilities including a new treatment plant in Roma.
The Three Towns Water Project was funded by EU with M 280 million and the reservoirs have storage capacity of 17 megalitres.
Present at the occasion were the Ministers of Labour and Employment, Forestry and Land Reclamation, Agriculture and Food Security, Health and Social Welfare, Finance and Development Planning and the Assistant Minister of Education and Training.
Source: LESOTHO NEWS AGENCY 08/10/2011
