The governor vowed to end perennial water scarcity in the state.
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has said his administration was prepared to meet the target of ending open defecation in the state by 2025 in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.
Mr Mbah spoke on Monday when he met with a delegation from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Nigeria at the Government House, Enugu.
The delegation, led by the Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Jane Bevan, was at the Government House to present the WASH master plan to the governor.
The governor said ending open defecation would be possible in the state within the benchmark because his administration has prioritised the supply of adequate water, ensuring sanitation and good hygiene, pointing out that he declared a state of emergency on water provision because of its importance to life.
He said an economic planning commission had been set up by the state government where he would be meeting local government chairpersons in the state monthly to discuss and chart development plans.
Mr Mbah explained that the commission would make it easy for the chairpersons at the council areas to set up and take ownership of WASH projects across the state to ensure an end to open defecation in the state.
"So, we have the honour of hosting the Chief of WASH, UNICEF Nigeria, who came to present to us, beyond a baseline, a very detailed document identifying the critical challenges we have in the area of WASH, and we have also gone through those areas of challenges.
"In the presentations are also pillars that we need and things we could do to help us achieve certain milestones by the SDGs, and we also have a target to ensure that by 2025, we have an end to open defecation in Enugu State," Mr Mbah stated.
The governor appreciated UNICEF's continued support of the state government.
Speaking to reporters, the WASH chief, Ms Bevan, commended Mr Mbah for demonstrating commitment and dedication to achieve the objectives of the WASH in the state.
"Efforts are made on all the investments, in human resources, in infrastructure and behaviour change as well as the private sector.
"There are so many different elements that will need to come together in order to make water, sanitation, and hygiene happen in the state. But I think the governor has got strong political will, and he can make it happen," she said.
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'We will beat deadline on water provision'
Mr Mbah has repeatedly promised to end perennial water scarcity in Enugu within 180 days from 29 May, when he was sworn in as governor.
Speaking to the reporters, the governor maintained that his government would fulfil the promise within the stated timeline.
"We will provide water regularly in our metropolis, and it is 102 days left. I am pleased to inform you that, with what we have on the ground, we are going to beat that deadline.
"We know that we need a minimum of 100,000 cubic metres of water daily in Enugu city. So, the current plan we have will see us generating, in less than eight weeks, more than 120,000 cubic metres of water," he said.
In his efforts to ensure the fulfilment of the promise, the governor said he was fixing leakages at various reservoirs to avoid waste of water.
"We will be able to deploy the whole water we are generating to the people. We are expanding the reticulation from the distribution side of things.
"So, we are taking this coverage to ensure the entire city is covered. The new layouts that were not originally captured are being captured," he stated.
