By Mustapha Jallow
Public Enterprise Committee (PAC) members for the National Assembly have just concluded a public hearing on the NAWEC water supply in Bundung.
The committee’s probing commenced on November 7th, 2023, and aims to investigate the effectiveness and accessibility of the water company in terms of water supply across the country. The Bundung residents, who had suffered so much from the lack of water in their settlement, expressed their anger and concerns to the officials during the hearing.
With support from the International Republican Institute (IRI), the committee held recent meetings in Jeshwang and Banjul to also hear about residents’ water delivery problems by NAWEC. But Bundung residents lamented the terrible water supply, saying their ex-councilor {now a member of the National Assembly} came to their rescue during his time and helped provide them with some infrastructures of water supply {public taps}.
They further expressed other challenges to the committee, especially the low water pressure and the erratic supply system
“We used to wait for water late at night {2 am or 3 am mid-hours}, so we could fetch water. Sometimes, our residents walk a long distance to fetch water. They carry 20-gallon or big buckets over their heads to come. This is very painful,” women jointly complained.
But NAWEC officials also revealed the projects they recently signed with their partners – to reduce the pain holding the local residents. He said the $418.5 million means that the market has with OIC towards the water project, with which they have drilled 14 reduced 80,000 liters from the water supply quantity of Bundung.
“The water shortage of Bundung is a concern for all the stakeholders, and efforts have been put in place to ensure that the crisis is solved. As far as water supply is concerned, inadequate water capacity is the primary contributing factor,” said another NAWEC at a public hearing in Bundung.
However, the officials told residents that the World Bank project is supporting the water company in drilling 11 boreholes. At the same time, 6 out of 11 will be prepared within Brikama and 5 to the upcountry, saying this will increase the capacity by seven boreholes.
Meanwhile, after the committee heard both sides – they told the gathering that they had noted all explanations, concerns, and recommendations. They said everything will be captured in their final report after completing their finding about NAWCE supply in the country. And they will follow up acutely to help curb these problems. The committee will also hold further hearings in other affected communities.
However, with the ongoing water crisis gripping the nation, NAWEC recently benefited from a World Bank project worth $40 000, 000 and many projects were signed, but still, the country faces the nightmare of water.
In September 2023, a group of desperate women and young men stomped the highway of Bundung with their empty buckets, pans, and gallons to draw President Barrow’s attention to their nightmares regarding the water shortage that gripped their community.
This event happened when President Barrow was visiting Bundung for the inauguration of a newly built Police Station. Residents thought the passing of the presidential motorcade was an opportunity they had been waiting for so long – to express their pain and frustration.
A moment when Mr Pierre Sylva, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the National Water and Electricity Company Limited (NAWEC), was confronted with claims and demands from local residents, he said: “NAWEC does not have enough water to supply to everyone. But we are developing measures to address the issue with the help of water projects.”
