Fishing village moves on after court battle

Nguwo fishing village in Traditional Authority (T/A) Maganga in Senga Bay, Salima, is making strides to become a full community following a successful court battle in which they challenged the sale of the land that provided a livelihood to over 20 000 people.

In 2012 there was a court order to have the community vacated, but they obtained a stay order and started making the village along the lakeshore liveable by constructing ecological sanitation (ecosan) toilets.

Group village head (GVH) Balankwanda said on Tuesday that the village was an important fishing hub catering for a large community that uses the lake for social and economic activities, but it had no sanitary facilities.

“When this land was sold through dubious means, one of the arguments was that it did not look like people lived here because of lack of toilets and other facilities. There are many people who come to this village to buy fish everyday and consider this their home,” he said.

The eco-san toilets cost about K420 000 each and the project also got donations from a volunteer at Cool Runnings Lodge and some two American ladies. n