Agreement signed to tackle Taiz water problems [Archives:2006/923/Local News]

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February 23 2006

TAIZ, Feb. 21 ) A Dutch-Yemeni partnership agreement was signed on Tuesday to tackle the drinking water problems in Ta'iz. With a population of 650,000, Ta'iz is Yemen's third biggest city. Development minister Agnes van Ardenne and Jos van Winkelen, chair of the management board of Vitens water company, signed for the Netherlands. Signing for Yemen were Ahmed Abdallah Alhajari, the governor of Ta'iz, and Abdul Rahman Fadhl Al-Eryani, the Yemeni water and environment minister.

The partnership in Ta'iz is in line with Van Ardenne's policy which aims to provide 50 million people all over the world with safe drinking water and sanitation by 2015. She feels it is very important to seek sustainable solutions in developing countries through public-private partnerships.

The partnership will cost a total of $1,650,000, to which the Minister for Development Cooperation will contribute $950,000 over three years. Vitens will provide a project team, with one member stationed in Ta'iz for three years. Apart from local manpower, the Yemeni government is investing $200,000 in the partnership.

Vitens will share its knowledge and experience of drinking water management and distribution with staff of the drinking water company in Ta'iz. “Our help is welcome in various ways,” says Jos van Winkelen. “Though it sometimes rains very heavily in Yemen, springs soon dry up. And distribution is inefficient. By curbing waste and redistributing volumes of water, Vitens wants to work with the Yemenis to improve water supplies for the residents of Ta'iz.”

Yemen faces water shortages through drought, wastage and poor water management. The partnership between Vitens and the Ta'iz water company is very important to Yemen. For the first time, a foreign company will be helping a Yemeni water company with management. The Yemeni government can use the experience it gains in this way to decide whether to contract drinking water services out to private parties, or to work towards more autonomous public water companies.
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