Project rehabilitates 100 boreholes in Dowa

Pump Aid Malawi through its Rapid Response Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Project has rehabilitated 100 boreholes in Dowa.

In an interview, the organisation’ssenior programmes manager Chikondi Kaomba said they repaired the boreholes to make water accessible to people as one way to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and waterborne diseases such ascholera and diarrhoea.

He said: “We want to improve water point functionality rate in Dowa, Kasungu and Mchinji districts.

“We targeted 400 water points in the three districts. We have repaired 380 and we are remaining with 20 in Mchinji district.”

Kaomba said approximately 30 percent of the people in the three districts did not have access to clean water and relied on wells and other unprotected water sources.

He also said they trained mechanics to repair the boreholes when they break down.

Dowa water monitoring assistant Cecelia Banda said the district had 75 percent functioning water points, but with the help from Pump Aid Malawi it has reached 90 percent.

“The initiative will improve sanitation in rural areas,” she said.

Traditional Authority (T/A) Chakhazaarea mechanic Joseph Mpakose said they acquired skills to repair broken down boreholes.

He said: “Most water points had problems with bearings, seals and cylinders.

“Pump Aid Malawi provided the materials and we repaired the boreholes.”

Zelifa Banda from Chatanga Village in T/A Dzoole said they stayed for four months without clean water because their borehole had broken down.

Pump Aid Malawi with funding from Dfidhas repaired 380 boreholes in Dowa, Mchinji and Kasungu districts.