Experts advocate WASHCOMS conversion to pressure group

Stakeholders in the water sector have called for the conversion of local governments’ Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Committees (WASHCOM) to pressure group to facilitate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal six, and address the state of emergency in the WASH sector. The stakeholders came up with this decision at a one day Bauchi State WASH policy review task group meeting held in Bauchi with participants drawn from Ministries of Education, Water Resources, Health, Local Government, State Planning Commission and the Network of Society for Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN). WaterAid consultant who facilitated the meeting, Dr Olufemi Aluko said the decision became necessary in view of federal governments recent declaration of the state of emergency in the WASH sector and the need to achieve SDG goal – six in Bauchi state. “If WASHCOMS can be transformed into a pressure group, it will be able to engage government by adopting community wide approach in addressing issues emanating from the community level and by so doing Bauchi State will record positive change in the WASH sector”. Dr Aluko said. The Consultant also suggested that traditional rulers must be productively engaged in the process of identifying the need for reform in view of the fact that households, institutions and public places which are the three domains of WASH also fall within their areas of jurisdiction. Other stakeholders at the meeting stressed the need to strengthen policy on enforcement of laws and regulations with respect to issues of open defecation, protection and maintenance of water facilities as well as ensuring effective waste disposal, stressing that behavioural change was however required to achieve this. “We need to improve inter- Agency collaboration particularly between the State Environmental Protection Agency BASEPA and the state Water and Sewerage Corporation BSWSC to avert confrontation and ensure improvement in service delivery for the overall development of Bauchi State”, stakeholders further suggested. Earlier, the Director planning and programs in the state Planning Commission, Mallam Lawal Bako Ahmed, said Bauchi State government had since inaugurated a committee to produce an action plan on the state of emergency declared on the WASH sector by the federal government adding that its outcome will be handed over to government before the end of this year. He appealed to representatives of the line Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the state government to support the production of qualitative document that would stand the test of time, stating that “this can only be achieved through synergy and high level of collaboration. Samuel Luka, Bauchi