People in Traditional Authority Chilowamatambe in Kasungu District have expressed excitement with the installation of a solar-powered piped water system in their area.
The system, installed under the World Bank-funded Regional Climate Resilience Programme (RCRP-2) in Chimanda Village, is expected to provide communities with safe water to improve their hygiene and sanitation.
One of the residents, Lise Kachikho, said the initiative has addressed challenges of water-borne diseases as people relied on unsafe water from Mazuna River.
She said: “Women and girls used to walk long distances to get water from unprotected sources that subjected them to cholera and other waterborne diseases.
“We spent our little earnings to take children to hospital when they fell sick.”
Group village head Chimanda said the water system has already transformed their lives.
“We are grateful. The intervention has enabled my people and others from the five surrounding villages to focus on development projects because they can access safe water now,” he said.
Kasungu District Council assistant hydrological officer Mphatso Jenitala said the initiative has complemented the council’s efforts to provide potable water to the citizens.
He said: “The importance of easy access to safe water cannot be overemphasised in Kasungu.
“Life is good in these villages. The initiative serves over 2 100 people. This takes us to 78 percent of people with access to safe water in the district.”
The council’s engineer Cindy Ngwira said the programme gave the communities resilient water infrastructure.
“We are erecting strong structures that will be resilient to impacts of climate change such as floods,” she said.
The water system cost K50.6 million and was erected with facilitation from the National Local Government Finance Committee.
