From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
A Jos-based non-governmental organisation, Transfer of Appropriate Sustainable Technology and Expertise (TASTE-Nigeria) in partnership with Overseas Fellowship of Nigerian Christians (OFNC) UK, is set to sink 25,000-litre solar-powered borehole for Ungwan Waziri internally displaced persons (IDPs) settlement located in Chikun local government area of Kaduna State.
Fielding questions from the newsmen at the sideline of the kickoff of the water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) support project for Angwan Waziri, Country Director TASTE, Nuhu Yakubu said, the intervention became necessary considering the hardship the displaced persons are facing in terms of access to clean water.
According to him, TASTE-Nigeria does not embark on such a project unless the community in need writes after which a team would be dispatched to such community to authenticate whether or not the community qualifies to attract such huge life-saving investments.
“In TASTE, before we come into a community to partner with them for them to have access to clean water, they will have to contact us first, we don’t go. Fortunately, somebody identified this community and made it known to us that they need this facility.
“The first thing we did was to do a basic need assessment which was done two months ago in the community and as a part of the basic needs assessment, we do what is called community triggering because it is one thing for you to think that you need water and toilet facility and another thing if that is your real need.
“So, in community triggering, what we do is to come up with activities that will make the intended beneficiaries participate and at the end, they will now decide whether or not that is a real need for them. That was done and then we all came to an agreement that access to clean water is a basic need for them in the community”, he said.
When asked about the sustainable maintenance of the facility he said, “the training we are giving the young persons here which is a part of the intervention is to bring to their understanding as to the benefitting community that they own the project from the handing over point. We will also equip them with basic repair skills and fortunately, the one we are doing is the one that is very easy to maintain”.
Member representing Chikun constituency in the State’s Assembly, Ayuba Ishaku Chawazah, thanked TASTE-Nigeria for coming to the aid saying “life should not end at the IDP camps, there should be an expansion or extension of life even after the IDP”.
Supervising Counsellor Kakau ward of the local council, Richard John thanked the implementing NGO for considering his political ward’s proposal for the project.
“Access to clean water at Ungwa Waziri has been worrisome. The displaced persons that settled at Angwan Waziri are those displaced from Kankomi and Nabarka communities as a result of bandits’ offensive attacks on their homes and businesses.
“This will help the people from the community who usually walk distances to get clean water while others get from the streams and use the local process of cooking or use alum to purify the water”, he added