The Ministry of Water Resources has submitted a 2022 budget proposal to the Senate to borrow N287 billion ($700 million) for its Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH) programme.
The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Esther Didi Walson-Jack, told the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debt that the loan would cover launching of the project and capacity building.
She noted, during a budget defence on Wednesday, October 27, 2021, that SURWASH would last for five years.
Members of the committee expressed strong objections to the proposal, and demanded clarity on loans already approved in the past.
“You need to tell us what you are doing with $700 million for water projects,” committee chairman, Senator Clifford Ordia, said.
The SURWASH programme is expected to cover seven states and provide six million people with basic drinking water service.
The project is to also provide 1.4 million people access to improved sanitation services, and deliver improved water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services to 2,000 schools and health care facilities.
