THE MINISTER OF STATE for water and energy, Emma-Francoise Isumbingabo, has reiterated the government�s commitment to supply clean and safe drinking water to the population.

She was speaking on Tuesday at the launch of two water treatment plants and water schemes in Nyabimata sector, Nyaruguru district. Nyabimata and Mata Water Treatment plants, have the capacity to process 2,400 cubic metres per day, distribute safe drinking water to about 100,000 residents in Nyaruguru, Huye and Gisagara districts of the Southern Province through a web of water schemes stretching to over 296 km.

Water points are installed within 500 to 1,000 meters from houses in scattered habitats and 200 metres for villages (imidugudu), officials said.

The water infrastructures were constructed by the Water and Sanitation Project in the Southern Province, known by its French acronym as PEPAPS, under the financial support of the European Union (EU).

The inauguration was held as part of activities to mark the Water Week in preparation for World Water Day, due on Friday. Rwanda is marking the week by inaugurating new water infrastructures, setting up new ones and putting up measures to protect the existing ones, including sensitisation campaigns targeting the population, Isumbingabo said.

�Today�s inauguration is in line with the government�s policy of supplying safe water to all the citizens. We want 100 per cent of the population served by the year 2017.�

She urged residents to protect existing water infrastructures for the benefits of the entire community.

Celestin Ndakaza, 71, a local resident, said the new water facilities will help boost people�s health while at the same time contributing to their socio-economic development.

�We spent so much time lokkingfor water, which was not safe,� he said. �

Rwanda commended:

The World Water Day is observed every March 22 across the world and is an occasion to reflect on the role of water in the life of the world�s population. On the occasion, world leaders are urged to come up with appropriate mechanisms to enable families have access to clean water.

This year�s national theme is: �Cooperation in management of water resources and water supply infrastructure�. Available statistics indicate that over 800 million people in the world still lack access to safe drinking water while two out of five people do not have access to drinking water in sub-Saharan Africa.

Source: All Africa