Access to Safe Water Remains Challenge in Zibankhwe Village, Nsanje District
The people of Zibankhwe village, located in Senior Chief Mbenje's area in Nsanje, continue to face difficulties in accessing safe and clean water, writes Cornelius Lupenga.
NSANJE, Malawi - The people of Zibankhwe village, located in Senior Chief Mbenje's area in Nsanje, continue to face difficulties in accessing safe and clean water, writes Cornelius Lupenga.
Member of Parliament for Nsanje Lalanje, Gladys Ganda, acknowledged the issue and highlighted the lack of clean water in certain areas of her constituency.
"We recognize the problem of inadequate access to clean water in some parts of my constituency," Ganda admitted.
She further mentioned that piped water projects have already been implemented in certain areas, such as Senior Group Village Headmen Nyang'a, Kalupsya, and Mnembe.
The parliamentarian also revealed that the next phase of the piped water project would cover Khope, Nkhadzi, Nyamitalala, and Zibankhwe.
Eliza Nandolo, a resident of Zibankhwe, shared the plight of the community, stating that they rely on water from Chikowa stream, which is also utilized by goats, cattle, and wild animals.
This situation poses risks to the locals as there is no access to safe and clean water, forcing them to resort to using unprotected water sources.
"During the dry season from September onwards, obtaining water becomes a major challenge in the area," Nandolo alleged.
To mitigate the issue, Nandolo highlighted that women and girls are compelled to travel approximately 2 kilometres to Milton or 3 kilometres to Maere village in search of water.
As a solution, she requested that authorities consider drilling two boreholes that would address the water scarcity problem in the area.