Lilongwe Demera Constituency parliamentary aspirant Monica Chang’anamuno of Malawi Congress Party has commended Pacific Group Limited for repairing broken boreholes in the area to improve access to potable water.
She said the initiative was crucial in improving personal hygiene and community sanitation.
Chang’anamuno, who is also Minister of Defence, says people in the area have for years relied on shallow wells and streams to get water for domestic use.
She said: “People draw water from wells where livestock also drink, making the water dirty.
“This forced people to spend time and resources treating the water for consumption.”
Group village head Gwirize said women used to travel long distances to access safe water from other villages, which contributed to family conflicts as husbands suspected their wives of indulging in extra-marital affairs.
“The functional boreholes have restored unity in families and given women dignity as they no longer wake early in the morning searching for water,” he said.
Lucy Bandazi, a community member from Traditional Authority (T/A) Kabudula, said farm work suffered as women spent most time searching for water.
“We used to spend many hours waiting for our turn to draw water, which affected other activities such as farm work,” she said.
Pacific Group Limited borehole rehabilitation leader James Nsusa said they have repaired 45 non-functional boreholes.
“We expect to complete the work by September 10 so people can access clean water as soon as possible,” he said.
Pacific Group Limited has since 2015 fixed over 9 000 boreholes in the country as part of its corporate social responsibility.
