Taraba state governor, Darius Ishaku, Sunday said lack of clean portable drinking water is responsible for diarrhoea disease in state.
Ishaku stated this through the secretary to the state government, Mr. Anthony Jellason when delegates from a leading nongovernmental organisation on social accountability in Africa, Connected Development (CODE), led by its team lead on the USAID E-WASH project, Ijeoma Oforka paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Jalingo and said that lack of clean water has contributed to poor sanitation in the state.
Taraba is notable for solid and liquid waste menace which has seriously affected public health in the state.
He stated that the state government would continue to make intentional efforts to provide residents with potable water and address sanitation issues in the state.
On his part, the Taraba state House of Assembly has assured that it would pass into law the Taraba state WASH bill by December, 2019.
Chairman of the House Committee on Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Mohammed Abdulkarim, stated this while receiving delegates from leading nongovernmental organisation on social accountability in Africa, Connected Development (CODE) at the House of Assembly.
He acknowledged that the Bill has been delayed and added that “there were plans to assent to the Bill in October 2019. But the house however was constrained.
He stated that as a matter of urgency, Taraba House of Assembly would accelerate the second reading, public hearing, and third reading and present it to Governor Ishaku for assent before the end of December 2019.
Speaking during the meeting with the committee chairman, the team leader of CODE, Ijeoma Oforka, stated “CODE will also help to strengthen civic advocacy so that the residents of Taraba state can have access to adequate safe water and basic sanitation provided at an affordable cost in a sustainable manner in order to promote their health, dignity, economic well-being and improved livelihoods.
