Political meddling wanes in water management

Political interference in operations of communal water kiosks has significantly dropped in the peri-urban areas of Blantyre during the past three years, stakeholders have said.

They said the development has enhanced service delivery.

This was revealed in Blantyre during an internal review of a project being implemented by Water for People and other partners aimed at strengthening the capacity of Water Users Associations (WUAs) that manage the water kiosks.

Water for People training and capacity building specialist Joseph Magoya attributed the political interference decline to increased consumer voice and interaction between the water users and service providers.

Traditional Authority (T/A) Machinjiri commended the formation of WUAs which he observed were playing an important role in the provision of quality water and enhancement of hygiene to disadvantaged citizens in the city.

More than 400 water kiosks have been constructed in the low income areas of Blantyre to enhance access to clean water and about 700 jobs have been created.

Other partners of the project, funded by Tilitonse Fund are Blantyre Water Board (BWB) and Consumers Association of Malawi (Cama). n