Water Sector Resource Centre established
A Resource Centre for the Water Sector has been established and is earmarked to be a one-stop reference point for information and knowledge sharing.
The Resource Centre being housed at NWASCO and set up with the support of DANIDA has a collection of material for the Water Sector ranging from the NWASCO information system for water supply and sanitation sector performance, local databases, training manuals, handbooks, reference books, directories, leaflets, posters, videos, media stories and web links.
Officiating at the launch of the Resource Centre on the December 13th 2011, Minister of Lands, Energy and Water Development Chris Yaluma observed that accessto appropriate, relevant and up-to-date information about water supply and sanitation issues plays a vital role in enabling educators, researchers, students, policy makers, cooperating partners, communities and individuals to make informed decisions as well as improve skills and knowledge.
“Information plays an important part in everyone’s learning process and helps us to understand the context of our work in the water sector, follow new approaches, undertake new responsibilities, and improve our practice for the betterment of our people.”
Mr Yaluma noted that the establishment of the resource centre is critical as it plays a significant role in ensuring that the country responds to the demands and challenges of the sector with accurate and up-to-date information on water supply and sanitation.
Speaking during the launch, DANISH Ambassador to Zambia Thomas Schjerbeck pledged his country’s continued support towards improvement of the water sector. He said water and sanitation programmes in Zambia had been the most successful undertakings Denmark had funded in the past ten years. Mr Schjerbeck however noted that Denmark only had about two years in Zambia to wind up all its water and sanitation projects.
And NWASCO Vice Board Chairperson, Levi Zulu said the resource centre is one of the strategic tools of regulation that NWASCO would utilise to move the water supply and sanitation sector to a higher level and be relevant to consumers, commercial utilities, the government and non government organisations and cooperating partners.
Mr Zulu assured stakeholders that the water and sanitation regulator was determined to develop appropriate instruments for modern regulation and fulfill its mandate as stipulated in the water supply and sanitation act of ensuring sustainable water supply and sanitation services for all.
The Resource Centre has been set up at a cost of 331 Million Zambian Kwacha.
