¡¡ ¡¡LAGOS, April 6 (Xinhuanet) -- Nigeria needs 200 million dollars yearly to meet the UN Millennium Development Goal of halving the proportion of people without safe drinking water and adequate sanitation by 2015.

    This is disclosed by the west African country's Water ResourcesMinister Mukhtari Shagari in Abuja on Wednesday, said the News Agency of Nigeria.

    "It is estimated that 200 million dollars will be required annually for the next ten years, including 12 percent of that amount for operation and maintenance service for the program," Shagari said.

    "The investment needed up to the year 2015 is of such a magnitude that demands more proactive action to mobilize more fundto finance water supply and sanitation with particular reference to the rural areas," he said.

    According to the minister, the funding of rural water supply and sanitation in Nigeria had steadily increased from 20 million dollars in 1999 to 140 million dollars in 2004 while the external support had gone up to 25 million dollars per annum.

    He listed the European Union, the World Bank, the United Nations Children's Fund, Britain, Japan and China as the country'smajor development partners in the water sector. Enditem