THE Gombe State government in collaboration with the Federal Government has inaugurated a N11.49 billion regional water supply project in the state.
Inaugurating the project in Gombe on Friday, the Minister of Water Resources (FMWR), Mr Suleiman Adamu, said the project was aimed at rehabilitating, expanding and upgrading the water project in the state.
Adamu said that the project was in line with the provision of the National Water Supply and Sanitation policy of the Federal Government.
He said that the Federal Government’s intervention was to accelerate access to portable water in the county towards meeting national and internationally set targets.
Adamu said that over the years, the Federal Government had demonstrated its commitment to addressing water supply issues through policy and capital investments.
He said that since the Federal Government declared a state of emergency on water supply, the government had partnered several state governments for implementation of major urban supply projects which he said was yielding expected positive results.
Adamu said the Gombe regional water supply project was being carried out on a 70-30 per cent partnership agreement between the Gombe State government and the Federal Government.
He said the Federal Government through FMWR was funding 30 per cent of the financial cost of the project which was N3.447 billion while Gombe State was funding 70 per cent amounting to N8.43 billion.
According to him, the state government is also bearing the cost of consultancy services which is N419 million.
While speaking, Gov. Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State, said on his assumption of office in 2019, the water treatment plant in Dadin-Kowa was in a state of disrepair and had over N5 billion unpaid obligations to contractors and suppliers.
