The director general of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), Alagi B Gaye, has called on the general public to be conscious of how they use water, noting that most people feel that water is completely free.

The PURA boss made this call a few days after the world celebrated World Water Day during an exclusive chat with this reporter at his office in Senegambia. He said: "Even if the water was free for the people, there is some form of money involved either directly or indirectly". According to him, all hands should be on deck to make sure that there is good management of of water in the country pointing as water is needed in all aspects of life.

Gaye said PURA has recently concluded a tour of the rural areas of the Gambia but had found out that in many places, people are not taking the responsibility of maintaining street taps, leading to many litres of water being wasted. He said also revealed that PURA has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of State for Water Resources to ensure that all consumers have access to water of good quality.