Project News

Participants visited Training Centre ofthe Office National de l'eau potable (ONEP).

From May 13th to 26th, 2012, Capacity Development Project for Provision of the Services for Basic Human Needs in Kassala (K-TOP) took three officers of State Water Corporation (SWC) in Kassala to Third Country Training for two weeks. Morocco is a Northern African country near from Europe and its population is mainly consisted of Arabs. Recently, it gradually progressed in economic development and became one of a few newly industrialized countries in Africa. In total, 14 Sudanese from SWC in each state in Sudan and two JICA experts visited Morocco. The purpose of the training was to learn from Morocco experience which can be a model of water supply, and conduct the lessons in the office after returning to Sudan.

Morocco is located in the northern part of Sahara Desert and mostly covered with dry area except the seaside. For this geographical reason, until 20 years ago, Morocco also faced with water. For instance, its water coverage was only 15 % in rural area in 1995. However, until now, Morocco has continuedits independent efforts on improving infrastructures and human resource and its water coverage in rural area reached 80% in 2008. Such effort made Morocco as a developed country in water supply in Africa.

Sudanese officers from SWC visited Tamri water purification plant in Agadir region in Morocco.

In order to learn individual ingenuities which overcame difficulties in sites, the training included a meeting to ask Moroccan water supply officers of their success story in Arabic. One of the participants, Mr. M. Abdallah Ahmed who is an accountant in Kassala SWCsurprised to see high water management capacity of Water Association in the village.

"Compared to Sudan, in Morocco, Water Association is operated continuously in village level with government support. When I go back to Kassala, I would like to conduct a support for fare collection system in rural area as soon as possible", he said.

In the village, Water Association implements stable fare collection and stocks spare parts for future maintenance. After his returning, he went to Wad El Helew, a village where water supply facilities were prepared

Besides, participants found a lot of differences between water supply system in Morocco and one in Sudan, for example, a well-organized Training Centre, high presentation skill of Moroccan in the host institution, a sewage disposal system in city area and so on. They eagerly asked many questions. Three participants are now commencing with what they can do against challenges in Kassala.

by the pilot project. He carries out there a support for making a fare collection ledger.

 

Presentation from the representative of Water Association in Wlad Isa, Morocco.

Mr. Abdallah from Kassala SWC carries out Field Training on accounting of fare collection in Wad El Helew (Right).

(Reported by Mr. Kan Shichijyo, JICA Expert on Rural Water Supply Program)