The National Assembly Members sub-committee last week held a 3-day forum to review and analyze the 2009 budget allocations for Water, Sanitation and Child Protection at the Paradise Suites Hotel in Kololi.

Supported by Pro-PAG and UNICEF, the forum reviewed the budget allocations for the various sectors and strategised how allocations could be improved to benefit women and children.

Access to safe-drinking water and adequate sanitation is critical for basic survival as captured in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper II (PRSPII), and access to clean and reliable water supplies and basic sanitation is crucial for poverty reduction, said Pro-PAG’s head of programme, policy and budget analyst Omar Jobe while making a PowerPoint presentation on the occasion.

“The government is committed to increasing access to clean and safe-drinking water for the rural communities,” Mr Jobe said.

Within the framework of the PRSP, the government intends to increase coverage of the basic social needs of the poor and the vulnerable, he added, noting that The Gambia is currently laying emphasis on the construction of new water supply system in the rural areas “where they are most urgently needed”.

He said: “Under pillar 3 of the PRSP II entitled ‘Improved coverage of basic social protection needs of the poor and vulnerable’, the GoG [the Government of The Gambia] seeks to develop the country’s human capital through the delivery of social services in the areas of education, health, social welfare and child protection, and safe drinking water.” He also noted that he PRSP has created space for private involvement in water and sanitation delivery.

According to Mr Jobe, young girls and women still bear the burden of travelling long distances to fetch water for domestic use, drinking and food production. The Pro-PAG policy and budget analyst also disclosed that attempts have been made in the past to incorporate a water and sanitation policy into the Gambia Environmental Action Plan adopted in January 1993, but when it comes to physical implementation, “the sanitation component is often neglected”.

“This practice has contributed to the large disparity between water supply and sanitation coverage in the rural areas of The Gambia,” he said.

NAWEC is responsible for provision of urban water supply and sanitation services, he also said, adding that “the private sector is not a key player in water provision” but private sector actors intervene to finance and in some cases participate in the actual construction of physical infrastructure.

International development agencies and NGOs are mainly utilized financiers, sometimes implementers of water related projects,” he said.

Mr Jobe also spoke at length on the Water and Sanitation Working Group (WSWG) that was supposed to play a leading role in the development of the sector’s policies, which is now dormant. This body, which received financial support mainly from UNICEF, was established to provide the necessary technical advisory support to water supply, sanitation and hygiene intervention agencies and institutions in the country, he said.

Government uses protecting children and their rights as yardstick in allocating public resources to this sector. The State is determining the welfare of children in terms of survival, protection, development and participation, he said, adding that children’s rights are therefore inextricably linked with public budgets.

Mr Jobe also said there is a shelter for children in Bakoteh dealing with all types of vulnerabilities, such as children under difficult circumstances, abused children, and young girls forced into marriage.

In addition to SOS Children’s Village, a new village has been inaugurated in Basse to provide residential services to over 100 rural children in need of care, he said.

For his part, the MP for Kombo North, Hon. Adama Cham, noted that the budget analysis would assist them to perform their functions effectively, particularly in alleviating poverty and related matters.

“As NAMs, we know that our responsibility is to ensure that our people are protected with adequate water supply and also to protect our future leaders and the country at large,” Hon. Cham said.

While expressing gratitude to Pro-PAG and UNICEF for their collaboration and support to the National Assembly, the Kombo North MP also described Pro-PAG as the ‘third arm’ of the National Assembly.

BY: MARIAM SAINE