A critical water shortage has hit some parts of Chipata district in Eastern Province since last Saturday.
The affected areas are part of Kapata Township, Kanjala, Kalongwezi, Hollywood, and Jere areas.
And Chipata residents have challenged Eastern Water and Sewerage Company to find a lasting solution to the water blues experienced frequently in the district by purchasing a generator as an alternative once power goes.
Mr Chanda Chilufya told ZANIS in an interview, that it is sad that in the 21st Century people were still subjected to water shortages.
Mr Chilufya said issues of water and sanitation should be addressed to the fullest so that people are not subjected to unnecessary suffering.
He challenged the water utility company to be innovative in order to enhance effective water supply to residents.
And Charity Nyirenda of Hollywood stated that residents were tired of carrying buckets on their heads.
Mrs Nyirenda said the residents were paying huge bills of water despite receiving rationed water.
And when contacted for a comment, Eastern Water and Sewerage Company Public Relations Officer, Henry Kashoki, was reported to be in Petauke attending a meeting.
ZANIS
That’s the Patriotic Fiasco punishing Chipatans for voting for MMD in the last bye election!
Sad
When did people in Chipata ever have a reliable and safe water supply or even a sewerage treatment system? Let us all grow up in Zambia. Critical shortage of civil services that they never had. What a joke.
Chipata used to be on 24 hours in the 90s and early 2000 up to around 2008 when population demand outstripped supply capacity and the water treatment plants. Those plants were designed for 50,000 people. Chipata now has more than 200,000 people and there has been no expansion of the plants. Every year during September we have this challenge because loss of ZESCO power and low voltages causes pumps which transfer water from the plants to the reservoirs to fail. This happens during extreme increased demand for water from residents. Thats why its good to her that the company has engaged a consultant to do new designs for Chipata township water supply focussing beyond 2030. Also the company is running an advert advising residents to conserve water i.e. dont wash cars using treated water.
Hello Chipata Resident, and thank you for this reply. I am not so much of a young man anymore. I am a retired Engineer and Chipata was one of the town that I worked in, when I was a young man. Probably late 70’s to the 80’s, what happened to the office of the town planner and district Engineer? They should have planned it like we did in those days.
I will not waste your time but I love the town then and I doubt I will ever forget the lovely hills and friendly people. Mongu, Livingstone, Ndola, Lusaka, Kabwe among others. “Zambia Shall Be Free”
At the time the stadium was being built, the surrounding area was also being sub-divided into so-called affordable lots, without regards to the basics of human needs.
Sweet, Grey and Black water treatment proved to be non starters. Believe me, Chipata had more brains than the politicians in Lusaka. We used to wonder why the big Ministers and their cohorts where visiting, since they never brought the technocrats that where required to understand and help us to assist the Nkosi ya ma Nkosi take care of his people.
Water, amongst other things requires Zesco for the pumps to run, and every time a few thousand bucks of machinery is fried in the name of Load shading Engineers all over Zambia, just remember who is to blame for the tolerance of incompetence that seems so prevalent.
Let me just say that, there was far too many people in Zambia that looked for glory in places they new nothing about. The travel allowances worked for the politicians in Woodland while those technocrats that needed it, just languished in Kanyama.
I wish I could blame it all on K.K, for want of being branded a hypocrite.
I left Chipata after they refused to incorporate the swimming pool I drew, into the stadium blue-prints. That; my friend was thinking about water, the giver of life.
The other towns I worked in, did not fare any better. Zambian politicians should learn to back off when talk comes to practice. I am glad to see what was my weakness become strength. I wii watch and try to enjoy my retirement, but I would be a fool if I lied and said; “It does not hurt.” Thanks.
@ Eng, Katubi
Dear Senior citizen, your comments are very valuable. I hope you are engaged in teaching and mentoring as much as you can. Forget about the good old days – things shall never be the same. Chipata though still has a very good chance of redeeming itself. BTW I wish to invite you to Chipata, and perhaps we can go round and see just how the Chipata of old and the current one reflects. Perhaps we could gain some wisdom as residents. Please post your cell number and I will give you a call.
Chipata (well particularly Kapata) has experienced water since the 80’s. At the time we where told, by the city/town fathers [does this still apply?], that the rationing was due to the population expansion. I doubt much has changed in the way the engineers worked at the time, compared to now. Furthermore, town planning is one thing that was thrown out of the development agenda in our country. We even have the census offices that can project population growth for ease of reference. So Chipata Resident et al, you might want to go back a decade earlier in your analyses! whatever the case, we all have a role to play making the change we want…
This is not unusual in our country.
Look at the copperbelt as an example of how rundown our country has become, during the time of ZCCM, every single household had water 24/7 and it was free. But now the paradox is that with all these water & sewerage companies in all the towns and residents paying for the service, water is literally unavailable!!
is this not illogical? Free water=available, paid for=none-available
Kafue had NO water the whole of yesterday and the water utility company didn’t even give notice. Sad indeed.
The residents of Chipata had it coming. Our civic authorities in Chipata have not acted prudently over the issue of water reticulation in Chipata. The main water source for Chipata is Lutembwe river. No adequate attempts have been taken to protect this life-line stream from deforestation. The beautiful forest along the river has been chopped leaving the stream susceptible to drying up. Besides, the land is Chipata has a steep gradient that lends itself to high rate of erosion. All the trees on the surrounding mountains have been cut leading to unprecedented erosion. All the eroded materials are unfortunately deposited in the Lutembwe dam which is the main source of water for the town, thus leading to the shallowing and eventual drying of the dam. The worst is yet to come for Chipata.
If people were serious, our comments would be how to address the situation. But we are all there to blame. Chipata yesterday, Chipata today, chipata tomorrow, …. What are the proposals. Someone talks of Chipata being punished for voting for PF. This is shallow thinking. This person has no historical knowledge of when and how the problems started. PF came into office in 2011 end. Problems started in 2007. The solution is that as a nation, we need to swallow our pride and focus at solutions. Blaming UNIP, MMD, and now PF, will not help.