Villagers in Chiyota area in Chongwe district have refused to start drawing water from a newly sunk borehole because it has been drilled near a graveyard.
MMD councillor for Nyangwena ward Joyce Sakala disclosed the development during a
two day Water and Sanitation Stakeholders workshop organized by the International
Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) in Chongwe today.
Ms. Sakala, who is also Chongwe council chairperson, said the villagers are refusing
to use the borehole because of its proximity to the graveyard.
She said the development as sad as the affected villagers have been denied access to
the water facility.
She attributed the location of the borehole near the graveyard to lack of
coordination and consultation among stakeholders in the district.
The civic leader observed with concern that most contractors sent to drill
boreholes in the district are locating boreholes at undesired points because they
are not being monitored.
Ms. Sakala called for close monitoring of the contractors to ensure that they sink
the water facilities at points that are safe and acceptable by the local
communities.
This is a sad development. As much I can think that the contractors were sinking the borehole with regard to the water table, this just shows how the local people may have been left out in the planning stages. How can this be realised after the project has been accomplished? Sink another borehole somewhere acceptable by the users.
How about starting to educate the villagers that graveyards are not meant to be feared but respected. This is nothing but a problem of superstition. The contractors did not deliberately sink the borehole next to the graveyard.