President calls for regional move on potable water

Republic of Congo President Denis Sassou-Nguesso on Friday called for a water resource management strategy, with a permanent body to ensure implementation of regional resolutions and recommendations, that would make potable water available for all in Central Africa. Speaking at a one-day water conference in the Congolese capital Brazzaville, Sassou-Nguesso said the sub-region should equip itself with canals and dams to enhance permanent irrigation for arable land, as well as for areas affected by drought and desertification, the PanAfrican News Agency (PANA) reported. Sassou-Nguesso said Central Africa lacked a forum to press for progress on the provision of potable water, and urged the participants - from Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Chad, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, and Sao Tome and Principe - to establish a body to implement agreements reached at the Brazzaville conference. The survival of the region, as well as the development and (regional) integration of its states depended on the availability of water, PANA quoted Sassou-Nguesso as saying.