Some water and sewage establishment branches to be privatized [Archives:2006/939/Business & Economy]

The state water and sewage establishment is working to finalize a policy to privatize some of its branches in several Yemeni governorates. The aim is to turn them into financially and administratively independent institutions aimed at developing an operation mechanism and improving the standard of services they offer to the public. The mechanism will provide pure drinking water and sewage services.

Sources said the privatization measure is meant as part of the establishment's organized supervisory role over the water and sewage sector and its conversion to decentralization principles in terms of finance and administration. They indicated that the change and qualification operation, which may take up to 10 years, will modernize and provide sewage service for cities the establishment is to include in its service coverage by the end of 2006 and the beginning of 2007.

In the context of this year's investment program, sources added that the establishment will implement a sewage project in Haleen, Attaq and Shabwa cities, in addition to a study on providing those services to Ghadha, Ma'abar and Abs cities.

They also pointed out that a workshop the establishment organized last week on encountering requirements of future human resources development in the water and sewage sector affirmed the importance of training aimed at improving performance in the establishment's vital organizational fields.

Such training especially pertains to maintaining the water distribution network and reducing losses, reducing costs through efficient use of resources and planning and implementing projects.

Additionally, the workshop focused on training with regard to qualification through a group of courses aimed at leading establishment staff in production and distribution, maintenance, repair, construction work and subscriber relations. This goal is to be accomplished through qualifying relations officials entrusted with water meters, as well as qualifying them in administrative skills.

The workshop, in which 40 national experts participated, also confirmed the necessity of circulating an experimental diploma program in areas of water supply and sewage skill in Aden, Taiz, Mukalla and Hodeidah governorates, provided that the project's beginning should be initiated practically in those governorates by the beginning of September.
——
[archive-e:939-v:14-y:2006-d:2006-04-20-p:b&e]