Kasungu waste reaches crisis point

Management of solid and liquid waste in Kasungu Municipality has reached crisis point, preliminary findings of an assessment by Counterpoint Development Consultants has revealed.

According to the assessment’s findings, people living in the municipality are not safe as there are no proper systems to manage both solid and liquid waste.

The findings indicate that although people in the municipality have access to piped water, the supply is intermittent to the extent that sometimes there are outages for two to four weeks.

“When there is no water coming out of the taps, the people resort to boreholes, stored water and wells. The tests in the wells also show faecal contamination,” said Kathy Eales of Counterpoint Development Consultants.

The consultants recommend an improved sewer system. However, the assessment notes, the erratic supply of water will still cause problems.

Central Region Water Board (CRWB) scheme manager for Kasungu, Mussa Chimtsimbo, conceded that the board cannot supply enough water for such a system at the moment.

“It can’t be possible because already we are not producing enough water due to inadequate water sources and equipment capacity. So, such a system can be difficult to support,” he said.

On solid waste management, the consultants said most households burn the waste, while some bury it, however, majority of the households leave the waste in open spaces.

The research was sanctioned by WaterAid through Mineral and Appropriate Technologies Applicable in Malawi, a local organisation working in sanitation.