Ministry of Water and Energy announced that coordinated efforts are well underway to rehabilitate and rebuild safe drinking water infrastructures damaged due to the conflict in northern Ethiopia.
The Minister of Water and Energy, Habtamu Itefa told ENA that expediting of the rebuilding and rehabilitation of drinking water infrastructures destroyed due to the conflict in the northern part of Ethiopia has been well underway in a coordinated manner.
The rehabilitation and rebuilding activities, which have been undertaken over the past one year in collaboration with the Amhara and Afar regions have been successfully accomplished, he noted.
As a result of efforts being made thus far in the regions, safe drinking water has been made accessible to most of the communities in these areas, he added.
“Over the past one year, effective and encouraging works were carried out especially in areas where peace has previously been restored in Amhara and Afar regions.”
Similarly, we have dispatched an emergency response team to Tigray region following the peace agreement, which has commenced a coordinated activity to restore water facilities.
He said the ministry deployed water experts who used to work in the region's water related institutions; and they are engaged in replacing destroyed water pumps with news ones and rebuilding water pipes which were looted and damaged.
Accordingly, the rehabilitation and rebuilding activities in Shire, Axum and Adwa have been successfully accomplished, he added.
A team of officials from the Ministry of Water and Energy has visited Tigray region recently with a view to help reorganize the Water Bureau of the region by providing several logistics and office equipment including vehicles, Habtamu stated.
We will also continue our support in order to build their capacity, including with training, he added.
Habtamu pointed out that a committee has been established to identify the problems of the MekeleWater Project and come up with solution.
The minister expressed commitment to making efforts to address the problems step by step and benefit the community.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency