The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga has appealed to the water professionals and utility bodies to improve water sanitation in urban and rural areas.

The Speaker made this call while officiating at the closure of the 20th Africa Water Association (AFWA) International Congress and Exhibition on Thursday, 27 February 2020 at the Kampala Serena Conference Centre.

The Congress under the theme, “breaking new grounds to accelerate access to water and sanitation for all in Africa” attracted water professionals from across the continent.

Kadaga said that sanitation has been relegated to the background and more attention given to water access. She said that questions should be raised concerning the management of water sanitation.
“How many cities in Africa have good, clean and accessible public toilets? How many schools and hospitals have proper management of waste and water sanitation? Why do you still have scenarios of people building commercial buildings without toilets?”

She appealed to the utility bodies to elevate the issue of water access and sanitation wholesomely without neglecting any of the two. Kadaga said that this will be possible if such congresses focus on such questions.

The Speaker also urged the water utility bodies to work hard in improving water sanitation and access in the rural areas.

The Chairman of the Board of National Water Sewerage Cooperation, Dr. Christopher Ebal appreciated the Speaker for her efforts in supporting issues concerning water in Parliament.

However, he petitioned her to keep supporting regulations on water sanitation, access and the environment.
“We have issues of environmental degradation and water contamination which will go a long way in affecting the water that we harvest for use; we need more laws to manage these issues,” he said.

He cited some of the achievements of NWSC towards protection of the environment like the use of solar energy at their pump stations and supporting the formation of school water and sanitation clubs to encourage water conservation.

The President of AFWA and Executive Director of NWSC, Dr. Silver Mugisha said the Congress discussed key inputs concerned with water access and sanitation and there was a promise to realize an improvement in that field.

He expressed his gratitude to the Speaker for championing the ongoing campaign of planting 40 million trees.