MATABELELAND South Senator Sithembile Mlotshwa on Thursday called on Parliamentarians to pass national budgets and laws that would ensure water, sanitation and hygienic services were provided for.
by VENERANDA LANGA
Mlotshwa said this while introducing her motion on a report of the Zimbabwean parliamentary delegation that attended the Seventh World Water Forum in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea, in April this year.
She said it was imperative for the 2016 National Budget, which will be announced next Thursday, to cater for universal access to water and sanitation services for households in both rural and urban sectors.
“Awareness of legislators on water issues should be increased, and water should be put high on each country’s national development agenda,” Mlotshwa said.
“MPs play an important role in the adoption, development, legislation and oversight of water-related laws as well as in passing national budgets for water, sanitation and hygiene activities.”
She said Parliamentarians from different countries that were present at the water meeting in Gyeongju, acknowledged their role in legislating water policies that helped authorities secure sound water resources for the development and management of efficient and sustainable national water access.
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According to Section 77 of the Zimbabwe Constitution, every person is entitled to delivery of safe, clean and potable water.
Mlotshwa said during their presentations in Gyeongju, the Zimbabwean delegation reported that efforts were being made in Zimbabwe to provide for water through drilling numerous boreholes in each of the provinces, in order to meet this call.
“However, more still needs to be done to close the distance-gap to the boreholes in the various communities.”
The Senator said different governments in Africa faced challenges in enabling universal access to water and sanitation services for households in both rural and urban sectors, as well as in overcoming challenges of water security in harnessing rainwater, managing groundwater, river basins, watersheds, wetlands and others.
She said there was need to build resilience to address economic, climatic and health challenges faced through lack of water, and to create a political consensus to address water issues.
Billions of people in the world are said to still lack access to safe water, while in Zimbabwe, 79% of the population is said to have improved access to water (Zimbabwe Demographics Profile 2014).
