Delta to sanitise water, traffic management

·       EXCO approves water sanitization policy document.

·      

             Approves operationalisation of DESTMA Law

The Delta State Government has stepped up efforts to sanitise operations in the water, and traffic  management sectors of the state’s economy with the planned introduction of some policy guidelines.

The revelations were made known by the Commissioner for Water Resources, Chief Tilije Okenmor and his counterpart in the Ministry of Transport, Mr. Vincent Uduaghan Wednesday at a post Executive Council Media briefing held at the Press Centre, Government House, Asaba.

Okenmor said the state government was not comfortable that operations in the water industry in the state had been without rules, regulations and limitations, such that would explain clearly who does what at an appropriate time and in a particular location.

L to right: Vincent Uduaghan, James Augoye, Patrick Ukah and Tilije Okenmor
at the post exco media briefing on Wednesday. Photo: Goddy Umukoro. 

Pointing out that the situation will now change as the Executive Council meeting on Tuesday approved a policy documentation on water for the state, he said: “So, we now have what is known as Delta State Water and sanitation Policy. The objective of that document is to streamline all relationships in the water industry, such that at any point in time interventions can be easily done. And once you have a document, it shows that you have rules and regulations governing the water intervention schemes in Delta State”.

He continued: “We shall push that a bit forward to ensure an enactment of what will be known very soon as Delta State Water Law. Once that happens, all the segments, all institutions, all the capacities in the water industry will then know their limitations and the rules.”

The Commissioner explained that the idea is to see to it that the water industry is properly monitored to ensure that the water being produced is good for human consumption. “Therefore, it is very important that certain decisions are taken by government, so that apart from regulating the investments going into the water industry, it will also bring to fore the importance of producing safe and potable drinking water. The alternative is to go ahead and be taking ordinary water and call it free. But then, the health hazard that goes with it becomes more expensive,” he said.

His argued that when it is said that getting water to be potable and safe for drinking is capital intensive, he said it is even more capital intensive to treat the incidences arising from drinking unsafe water. “So, what government has done is to produce the very first document that can be regarded today as the Water Sanitation Policy Document for Delta state,” the Commissioner said.

Similarly for the transport sector, the State Executive Council also approved with the support of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa the operationalisation of the Delta State Traffic management (DESTMA) Law of December 3, 2013.

The Commissioner for Transport, Mr. Vincent Uduaghan told journalists at the media briefing with excitement that the document is to ease the bottleneck hindering effective traffic management in the state. He said: “I must say that I am happy because over the years, we’ve been having a situation on hand that we’ve been looking at the possibility of curing the issue of traffic management where task force has at one point or the other was set up without getting the desired result. Let me take your mind back to exactly December 3, 2013, a law was made in the state concerning traffic management. Basically, the law was tagged Delta State Traffic Management Authority (DESTMA). And from then till now, we’ve not been able to do anything about it. At this point, I will tell you why I am happy because yesterday, (meaning Tuesday) at the executive council meeting, we finally got approval when the Governor of the State and my colleagues graciously approved the operationalisation of DESTMA.”

Mr. Uduaghan recalled that newsmen once asked him at the briefing why some people thought to be Ministry of Transport officials were removing plate numbers from cars where they were parked. “I told you that they are not from Ministry of Transport, and that we are putting something in place to address the issue the issue of traffic management in the state. What we are looking at now is to do the needful to see how the operationalisation can come on board within the shortest possible time,” the commissioner said.