District assemblies urged to adhere to water, sanitation laws

District assemblies have been urged to carefully read and adhere to the provisions in the new Legislative Instrument (LI) of the Community Water and Sanitation (CWSA) to avoid breaches which can attract sanctions from the Agency.

Mrs Glover Tei, Legal Affairs Officer of the Agency, said the assemblies needed to sit up and work according to the tenets in the LI in their efforts to provide water and sanitation facilities in their communities.

She was speaking at a day’s sensitization workshop on the CWSA LI 2007, for District Coordinating Directors and Planning Officers from the Ashanti region in Kumasi on Thursday.

The New LI which was gazetted in December 2011 came into force on February 4, 2012.

It among other things mandates the district assemblies to issue approvals to individuals and organizations intended to provide water and sanitation facilities in rural communities and small towns upon technical advice from the CWSA.

The LI also gives the CWSA the authority to monitor and propose sanctions for assemblies which reneged on the provisions in the Instrument.

Mrs Tei said the object of CWSA was to facilitate the provision of safe drinking water and related sanitation services to rural communities and small towns in the country.

She said district assemblies which were charged to undertake or facilitate the provision of these items needed to ensure that the people got quality and affordable water.

Mr Robert K. D Van-Ess, Facilitator at the workshop, cautioned the assemblies against charging fees before issuing approvals to applicant saying there should be no charges before approval was given.

He said under the LI the name of the existing community water and sanitation boards have been changed to Community Water and Sanitation Management Teams, which are mandated to set tariffs and ensure the smooth operations of community water systems.

Source: GNA