Yenagoa — The United Nations Agency on Environment (UNEP) has doled out 110 million euros to coastal communities in Niger Delta states as support for governments to provide water, good sanitation, improved health, education and socio-economic development of the grassroots.

The agency said the fund would also support the South-South states in institutional capacity building, co-operation on pooling of network and complementary expertise and promoting of small-scale technologies for production of potable water.

UN Programme Director, Robert Bechtloff, disclosed this in Yenagoa on Tuesday at a training workshop entitled "Strategic Brainstorm on Municipal Water Management in Bayelsa" organised by the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt.

Bechtloff said the new partnership with the South-South states might last for three to five years even as it had received wide acceptance.

Earlier, Commissioner for Environment, Victoria Denenu, said the United Nations offer through the new partnership was a clear appreciation of the magnitude of the challenges of wastewater management in many coastal and rural communities in the South-South region.

Represented by Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Ebikaboere Sampou, the Commissioner said Bayelsa State has the longest coast line with about 185 kilometres, adding that some of the coastlines include Brass, Akassa and Egwema located at a low latitude.

"The state therefore, is at a unique position to derive benefits from the partnership the UN offered. Though, the state government has done a lot in rehabilitation of water system in the state, the issue of poverty and ignorance in some communities are militating factors against provision and accessibility of existing water channels. The UN programme will assist the state and the people to quell the rising cases of water borne diseases," Denenu said.