Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Africa Water & Sanitation & Hygiene May -June 2017 | Page 5

NEWS in brief
Nile Basin Initiative
NBI holds Extraordinary Nile-Com to facilitate
Egypt’s Return
The Nile Council of Ministers (Nile-COM), the supreme
policy organ of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) on 27th
March, 2017 held an extraordinary meeting in Entebbe,
Uganda to facilitate the resumption of Egypt’s full
participation in NBI activities, which it had frozen since
2010 following the signing of the Cooperative Framework
Agreement (CFA) by some Member States.
The meeting, chaired by Hon. Sam Cheptoris, Uganda’s
Minister of Water and Environment ,was attended by
Ministers in charge of Water Affairs from Burundi, Egypt,
Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Sudan and Sudan. The Republic
of Kenya was represented by the Principal Secretary for
Water and Irrigation, while the United Republic of Tanzania
was represented by the Deputy High Commissioner to
Uganda. DR Congo did not participate.
The ministers received a report on the concerns of Egypt,
one of which was Article 14b on water security and
accordingly responded to those concerns. Egypt took note
of the report on the responses and asked for more time
to study, consult and report back to Nile-COM on their
formal position.
Kenya
Kenya’s Mombasa County poised to issue RFP for
desalination project
Mombasa
County, Kenya,
is to issue a
request
for
proposals
for
new
desalination
capacity
to
five shortlisted
Mombasa City on the coast of Kenya is the country’s companies in
second largest city behind capital Nairobi
May 2017.
Around Africa
The county is tendering two desalination projects on a
build, operate, transfer (BOT) basis. They are a plant of
130,000 m3/d in the north, and one of 30,000 m3/d in
the south.
The plans were outlined by minister for water and natural
resources, Fatma Awale, at the Global Water Summit, on
24 April 2017.
A total of nine companies have expressed an interest in
working on the project.
The World Bank is supporting improvements to water
and sanitation services in Momb asa County through its
$200 million Kenya Coastal Water Security and Climate
Resilience Program.
The desalination project will be financed through a public-
private partnership (PPP), and Mombasa County has
committed to help secure land for it.
Reports in November 2016 suggested that high land
prices in Mombasa County were presenting a challenge for
project developers.
Source desalination.biz
Malawi
BWB Disconnects Water at Malawi Govt Building
Complex over Unpaid K2mil Bill
By Hamida Assan
The Blantyre Water Board (BWB)
Wednesday disconnected water at
the Blantyre Government Building
Complex due to unpaid bills
amounting to over K2 million.
Regional Housing Officer (South),
Wyson Chirwa confirmed the news
saying departments should settle
their bills for the water to be reconnected.
“We received a bill amounting to K 2, 453, 667. 16;
therefore the departments should make sure that they clear
their arrears as per the last bill which was sent to their
offices for the water to be reconnected,” he said.
The situation has created panic among those working in
the building on the use of water-run sanitation facilities
like toilets.
District Rural Housing Officer (DRHO) for Blantyre,
Graciano Kamwezi, who is housed in the building, said
the absence of water will affect workers in as far as the use
of toilets is concerned.
“Water is life, the building will not be hygienic and this may
cause diseases such as diarrhea,” he said.
Publications Officer for Ministry of Information, Jane
Suya showed concern over the disconnection of water
saying, as a woman, she will find it difficult in as far as
personal hygiene is concerned.
Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • May - June 2017
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