Members of the public in Kaoma have appealed to government to exempt people in rural areas from paying borehole levy once the law is enacted.
Speaking on behalf of others, Charles Daka explained that it would be unfair for government to make villagers pay borehole levy when it had not provided clean pumped drinking water in most areas.
Mr Daka noted that most people in rural areas were unable to pay K2 fee for them to draw water from a hand pump and wondered how such would manage to meet borehole levies.
Mr Daka was contributing to a public discussion on Agriculture and Climate Change Adaptation in Zambia organized by the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) at Mumu’s lodge in Kaoma.
He said government should exempt the rural community as a way of empowering them to venture into winter agriculture in view of climate change.
Speaking earlier, District Agriculture Coordinator Christabel Kakumbi thanked JCTR for organising such meetings that enabled members of the public submit their concerns for possible lobbying to government.
The meeting was dominated by local farmers and a fraction of agro dealers.
Ms Kakumbi reaffirmed her office’s commitment in helping farmers mitigate the affects of climate change.
She called on farmers to visit her office for any issues that were of great concern to them.
Ms Kakumbi counseled farmers to put whatever they had learnt into practice so that they were not caught unaware on effects of climate change.
From explanations made by officials from the Ministry of Water, what I have come to understand is that this fee is to be paid only once. This is to facilitate inspectors ascertain the suitability of site and that the drillers comply with the set standards. For those that have already drilled their boreholes they need to have them inspected to ensure that they are safe and meet the minimum standards. So I don’t think this fee qualifies to called a tax
no boreholes in villagers we have ground wells very easy conenient and we share with animals that we later kill and eat as meat
True. But who will pay that once off fee? Many boreholes in far flung regions have been dug by well wishers. Besides, this is Zambia… we already know for certain that no physical inspection will take place in those areas.