A new solar-powered water system has liberated learners at Kande Primary School in Nkhata Bay from struggling for clean, safe water, writes GIVEN CHICHITIKE from Unicef Malawi. Kande Primary School along the northern shore of Lake Malawi has long struggled with water scarcity, leading to unsanitary conditions and preventable diseases such as cholera.
Frequent outbreaks of waterborne diseases posed a risk to 933 learners at the school and the surrounding communities.
Temwa Msukwa, a 12-year-old Standard Eight pupil, remembers how pupils and neighbouring communities would fight for the trickles from the only borehole that served up to 3 052 people.
Temwa, who aspires to become a teacher, says the intermittent water flow at the borehole made it difficult for pupil to access water for everyday tasks such as drinking and cleaning their classrooms.
“There was constant congestion at the borehole and people were often fighting for water,” she narrates. “We rarely had enough clean water to drink and couldn’t properly take care of our toilets and classrooms.”
The situation contributed to the spread of diarrhoeal diseases in the lakeshore community.
Various diseases caused by gaps in access to safe water and sanitation account for over half of the outpatients in the country’s hospitals, according to the Ministry of Health.
Kande Health Centre in the vicinity used to treat an average of 19 cases per month
Unicef supported the Government of Malawi to construct a climate-resilient, solar-powered water system at the rural primary school.
The water supply system funded by the US Agency for International Development’s (USAid) Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance has addressed the fierce water scrambles among learners and surrounding communities.
It incorporates the risks associated with climate change and uses renewable energy to provide sustainable access to required quantities of safe water for schools, healthcare facilities and communities.
Now residents and students can access safe water that helps them keep their environment hygienic.
Sibongire Moyo, a 14-year-old classmate of Temwa, says adequate clean water helps them take care of classrooms, toilets and surroundings.
Headteacher Marshal Gerald Ngoma says the new water system at the school is a great relief to the learners, teachers and the neighbourhood.
He has 24 years of teaching experience.
He recalls classes frequently being disrupted as children spent more time fetching water from the overwhelmed borehole instead of learning.
“It was hard to observe break time and that used to disturb teaching and learning,” he says. “Children were scrambling for water at the only borehole we had and some were forced to fetch water from the stream.”
Ngoma thanks Unicef and USAid for constructing the climate resilient water system that has eased access to safe water and created a safe learning environment for the learners and their teachers.
District community water supply officer Alex Mwanjasi Mwakikunga says Unicef has supported the construction of seven water points in Nkhata Bay with support from the US agency.
“Most of them are located in health centres and schools, but they also meet the demand for safe water in surrounding communities,” she says.
Access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene is the most basic human need for health and well-being.
The rollout of solar-powered water supply systems is part of the national push for the global Sustainable Development Goals to ensure access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene for all by 2030.
