Sanitation bill to be tabled in Parliament

EDA Ranu and Water PNG are being consulted for a bill submission to establish the National Water Sanitation and Hygiene Authority.
This is expected to be brought to Parliament in November, says Minister for National Planning and Monitoring Richard Maru.
He said this at a meeting with a World Bank team which is helping to develop the bill.
The proposed authority is closely aligned with the Government’s commitment to provide quality water and sanitation services as stipulated in the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (Wash) Policy 2015-2030.
“Establishing NWSHA is a critical aspect of the Wash policy and it is the right approach to addressing poor access rates for water and sanitation in PNG,” Maru said.
“We have been taking far too long, especially when the policy was approved and launched by the same Government in 2015.
“The World Bank team has been consulting widely with relevant stakeholders like the State-Solicitor and the First Legislative Council to prepare the Bill for submission to the (National Executive Council) and then Parliament.
“They have also been consulting with major players in the sector like Water PNG, Eda Ranu and Conservation and Environmental Protection Agency (Cepa).
“This is to review the current regulatory regime to identify and thus address issues arising from and their potential to affect the new NWSHA Bill.”
Maru said a national stakeholders’ consultation workshop would be held in July to gauge views and ensure there “are no issues when I present the final Bill to Parliament”.