Kafue District Council has commended government for creating the rural water supply and sanitation programme which will ensure equity in service delivery in terms of water supply and sanitation.
The council is this year under the programme expected to drill 80 boreholes in the district at a cost of more than K2 billion stating in the first week of April. Priority of the programme will be given to unsupplied areas and rehabilitation of broken water points.
Kafue District Council Vice Chairman, Harry Baron, disclosed this in Kafue at the weekend during the district’s world water day celebrations held in Kabweza area under the theme “shared water, shared opportunities”.
Mr. Baron said the programme will among other things focus on developing dams for productive use such as irrigation, promote sanitation and hygiene as well as fight the HIV scourge in beneficiary communities.
Mr. Baron called on communities to benefit under the programme to take a central role in planning and maintaining the facilities once government drills the boreholes.
Kafue acting District Commissioner, Henry Bowa, said water was critical to the country’s sustainable water development and in poverty eradication.
He said government was committed to addressing the problems of water scarcity in the country.
Mr. Bowa also noted with happiness that government through the ministry of local government and housing was implementing the rural water sanitation and supply programme in the district.
He said his office was aware that billions of Kwacha have been pumped in the programme by the Danish government to ensure the country attains its millennium development goals on water.
He said with this programme in place, many people in Kafue rural will have water closer to their homes.
Mr. Bowa appealed to every Zambian to support government in ensuring that water resources are well managed.
ZANIS/BS/MKM/ENDS.
It is sad that after so many yrs of independence we still do not have clean water
Very sad indeed. We have selfish leaders at most of the levels. I hope this time things will be done differently, otherwise knowing how Local Govt works, talk is cheap but walking the talk always a challenge
Am not sure if this program will be successful. From past experience we Zambians are good at coming up with plans, documents or whatever paper work. BUT implementation, very poor
Poor management, inefficiency and above all too much power given to incompentent bereaucrats with no human resources skills. Zambia has to learn from countries that have managed their meagre resources so well. Boreholes are a temporary solution reservoirs, on the other hand, are a more long term solution. Flood water could have been harvested into reservoirs.