A three-day training workshop for 30 water tank management committee members within KMC over the weekend ended at the Kanifing Municipal Council chambers, with participants drawn from three wards within the municipality, namely Abuko, Ebo Town and Kotu Quarry.
Speaking at the workshop, Mrs. Binta Sey-Jadama, of the Municipal Disaster Management Committee said UNDP has given five water tanks to KMC Disaster Management Committee through NDMA.
According to her, three out of seventeen wards will start the projects. The water tanks, he disclosed, will have a water capacity of 2000 litres.
As the NDMA Municipal Coordinator for KMC, she added, she would supervise the project in the said wards. She stated that it is the KMC Disaster Management Committee, who would identify strategic locations for installations of water tanks.
She disclosed that water tanks will be installed in a compound where the owner will give 15 square metre land within his compound for installation of the tank for his own will.
She said when a tank is installed in any compound, an MOU will be signed, to be witnessed by the compound owner, CEO of KMC and a member on the KMC Disaster Management Committee.
She said the main objective of the training was to empower the water management committees to take charge of their own decisions.
Mrs. Jadama said some amount of money would be given to each committee for the start of the project.
During his presentation, Mr. Lamin Chaba Saidyleigh, Senior official at Department of Water Resources dilated on the safety of clean water usage. According to him, clean water should be colourless, odourless, tasteless, and free from harmful chemicals, bacteria and physical impurities. He also dilated on household water treatment process including sedimentation, coagulation, filtration, boiling and storage.
The Executive Director of the National Disaster Management Agency, Mr. Essa Khan advised participants to ensure the successful implementation of the project.
"Don't allow your project to fail. Always aim for its success because when the project succeed, it will be easy for NDMA to tap funds from the UNDP," Khan advised.
For her part, the Community Development Officer for KMC, Mrs. Aja Casa Sanneh advised participants to respect each other's positions without which they will fail in their work. She urged them to always organise constant meetings, know the purpose of the meeting and their agenda.
"Respect each other's views during the meeting whether at the committee or general body levels to get the best idea out of the lot. As a committee, you have the right to call an emergency meeting to address the issue on time," she concluded.
