The National Water Resources Management Agency (NWRMA) has today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) at the Police headquarters in Freetown.
The agreement sets the stage to strengthen ties between the two state institutions and puts in motion the required collaboration to ensure that existing water resource management laws are enforced, and defaulters punished.
The National Water Resources Management Agency Act became law in 2017 and established the National Water Resources Management Agency, which started operations in 2019, with a broad mandate to protect conserve, regulate, utilize, and manage internal, territorial, and transboundary waters (both surface and groundwater) among competing water users.
The Agency does this by formulating regulatory measures, granting water rights to competing users, and collecting & sharing hydrological data, with the view of maintaining the water table and controlling water pollution.
The Inspector General of Police, William Fayia Sellu acknowledged the need for effective water management and the fact that because the concept is new to Sierra Leone, water users may drag their feet to comply with water management law, for which the collaboration becomes a necessity.
In his response, the NWRMA Director-General, Junisa Patrick Bangali Esq. commended the IGP for his understanding of the concept of water management, and added his voice to the necessity of the collaboration
This partnership will go a long way to ensure that the country’s water resources are protected to prevent water scarcity which is prevalent, and water-related disasters like mudslides, flooding, etc.