RUWASSA Expands Water Services to Four Bwari Communities

Written by: Chisom Irechukwu.

FCT Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Directorate (RUWASSA), is engaging four additional communities in Bwari area council to boost investments in the Water,
Sanitation, and Hygiene, Services in the FCT.

The Project done in partnership with WaterAid Nigeria is a 133 million Naira water and sanitation intervention project which was launched in Bwari area council of the Territory and funded by the Latter Day Saints Charity in the four selected communities.

The initiative is part of FCT Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Directorate (RUWASSA) efforts towards strengthening water and sanitation delivery in Abuja.

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The communities to benefit from the initiative are; Dakwa, Barangoni, Zuma II and Tudun Fulani within Bwari Area council.

The project which focuses on increasing access to WASH services by constructing and rehabilitating solar-powered water facilities as well as provision of gender-inclusive public sanitation facilities in the selected communities has been ongoing for over a year and renewed for the second year in June 2024.

Mr Bayo Adebayo who spoke on behalf of Water Aid Country Director Mrs Evelyn Mere, stated that the World Aid projects had served over 113 thousand people in the FCT.

He also congratulated the councils for all they were able to achieve within a year and expressed his support towards the success of the project explaining that the initiative will serve as a model for improved access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in the FCT communities.

Mr Adebayo encouraged officials of RUWASSA to replicate some of the projects in other communities and assured that water aid would support such self initiated projects.

“You can say WaterAid, please come and support us. We want to set up a washroom in another community. We have already done this, we have already done that, We just need you to come and help us maybe in the training, of the washroom so that they can maintain the facilities in their community. That is what WaterAid is available for. We want to see you also going forward doing these things on your own.”

Meanwhile, in his presentation, Mr Mathias Makama Director Finance who represented the chairman Bwari Area Council, Honorable John Gabaya commended Water Aid for the support, and expressed the belief that the project would result in more individuals having good toilets, and clean water in the Territory.

“Every community desires to have good, clean water. And WaterAid is working towards making this a reality in our community as it strives in its own effort to fulfill the promises of the federal government unto the people.”

Some of the members of the community also spoke on the challenges of lack of safe water, and commended RUWASSA and Water Aid for the positive impacts of the project in their lives.

“There’s a particular household, a widow, that had never had that kind of toilet in her life. But during that training at Zuma II, because of that toilet, everybody kept on wanting to see. It lifted her dignity.
She had a very beautiful toilet to herself and her children.”

The FCT Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Directorate therefore called on members of the communities to make efforts towards achieving an open-defecation free society to prevent outbreak of diseases.