water

A United Nations (UN) independent human rights expert, Catarina de Albuquerque, has praised Egypt for making great strides in improving access to drinking water and says the country is well-situated to address remaining challenges related to water and sanitation.

De Albuquerque, who was wrapping up her eight-day visit to the country, said: "The level of political and financial commitment to tackle these complicated issues is to be commended".

The Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Buyelwa Sonjica, has no plans to scrap the controversial pre-paid water meters or to introduce more free water for the poor.

Although the ANC campaigned against the City of Cape Town’s pre-paid water meters in the run-up to the elections, Sonjica says her department is not opposed to the devices. “As long as the free basic water allocation is guaranteed, I wouldn’t quarrel with the pre-paid water system,” says Sonjica.