Calabar – The European Union is to spend N480 million on the provision of potable water in 20 rural communities of Cross River.
Mr Adebayo Alao, Institutional Expert, Cross River Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reform Programme (WSSSRP) 11, made the disclosure yesterday in Calabar in an interview with newsmen.
He said the state government would contribute 30 per cent of the amount as its counterpart funding while the EU would contribute 70 per cent.
He said that the delay in inviting tenders to bid for the projects was caused by delay by the government to pay its counterpart funds for the projects.
“We should have called for tenders for the project in December 2014, but since the state government is not ready to pay its counterpart funds, we are yet to commence the tender,” he said.
He said that the 20 benefitting communities would be selected from the three senatorial zones of the state.
Adebayo said that WSSSRP 11 had sent a bill to the state House of Assembly for the establishment of a regulatory agency on water and sanitation in the state.
He said that the passage of the bill into law would ensure the provision of potable water to the people of the state.
WSSSRP is an initiative of the European Union aimed at the provision of potable water to the people of Cross River.