Seventy-two percent of rural areas communities across 13 municipalities in Timor-Leste now have access to clean water, according to the Secretariat of State for Water and Sanitation (SAS).
The national director for water supply systems, Gustavo da Cruz, said water was being provided by the government and development partners.
However, he said some water pumps were out of order and the SAS had no budget for maintenance repairs.
“There is no funding for maintenance and the community itself did not use it properly,” said da Cruz.
However, this year the government proposed allocating $2 million for maintenance costs, including the installation of more water pumps for communities.
“We hope that this year we can do maintenance for water pumps in rural areas,” he said.
Member of Parliament MP Anna Ribeiro acknowledged that while the government had taken some steps to addressing the issue, many communities still did not have access to clean water.
“Most communities do not have accessed to clean water, particularly those in rural areas,” she said.
Resident Mario Fernandes also confirmed that only some rural communities had access to clean water.
“The government should make an effort, so that all people can have access to clean water,” he said.
