P&G, World Vision partner in Sh50m clean water drive

Global product manufacturer Procter and Gamble (P&G) has partnered with World Vision in a Sh50 million project that will see 12 counties access clean drinking in efforts reduce to sickness and death.

The campaign is part of the P&G’ Children’s Safe Drinking Water programme that has been running in Kenya for more than 10 years.

Under the programme, 4-gram P&G Purifier sachets, each capable of filtering 10 litres of contaminated water in minutes will be distributed.

Counties that will benefit from the program are Makueni, Machakos, Kitui, Kajiado, Taita Taveta, Narok, Kisumu, Isiolo, Marsabit, Elgeyo-Marakwet, Baringo and Homa Bay
Water secretary Eugene Wamalwa welcomed the partnership saying it will help prevent deaths brought about by drinking contaminated water.

He said the government targets to achieve universal access to water and sanitation by 2030 as envisaged in the National Development Plan and Sustainable Development Goals.

“Currently, water coverage in the country is about 58 per cent while sewerage is 25 per cent in urban areas. To achieve our target we require to achieve 80 per cent water coverage by 2020 and attain the remaining 20 per cent by 2030,” he said.

Mr Wamalwa said achieving the set targets would require a strong institutional framework, sound funding and public private partnerships.

Under the P&G and World Vision project, 74,000 residents of the 12 counties would receive free water purifiers as well as lessons on water treatment and storage to improve sanitation and hygiene awareness.

“To date, P&G has delivered over 11 billion litres of clean drinking water around the world, while in Kenya, we have provided almost a billion litres together with our partners,” said Vivek Sunder, managing director at P&G.

He said the P&G goal is to deliver 15 billion litres by 2020 globally and expand Children’s Safe Drinking Water’s as the company’s commitment in mitigating the clean water crisis in partnership with NGOs, governments, companies and consumers.

According to UN Habitat and United Nations Environment Programme 50 per cent of patients in hospitals are diagnosed with water related diseases.

“If everyone everywhere had clean water, number of diarrheal deaths would be cut by 34 per cent, an indication that there is dire need for interventions that can avail clean drinking water to people,” said Mr Sunder.

President Uhuru Kenyatta in September last year signed to law the Water Bill 2016 to streamline the water sector.