Mulilansolo Stream in Kasama District, has reportedly been contaminated. The stream which is used as a source of water for some residents is said to have been polluted after a blocked sewer pipe burst into it.
Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA) has since collected samples from the stream for further tests.
WARMA Environmental and Water Quality Officer for Northern Region, Mathews Mulenga advised residents to stop using the water from the Mulilansolo stream.
Mr. Mulenga appealed to Chambeshi Water, Supply and Sanitation Company to quickly work on the sewer line.
He noted that the utility firm should also find ways of providing water to the residents of Location compound who rely on the stream.
And Chambeshi Water Supply and Sanitation Company Managing Director, Luckson Simumba, who described the situation as unfortunate, said the company has already moved on site to repair the sewer line.
Mr. Simumba also assured residents that the water utility company will continue to strive to provide better services to its clients.
And Agness Mutale, a resident of Location Township commended the utility company for quickly working on the sewer line.
Mrs Mutale also commended the company for disinfecting drainages affected by the sewer.
Meanwhile, Government has said that the of clearing water canals in Lunga Town under Transforming Landscapes for Resilience and development (TRALARD) will help in reducing the costs incurred in assisting flood victims.
Since 2019 the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) has been supporting over 10, 000 households in Lunga with relief foods as a result of floods which is usually experienced in the area, the undertaking he said is expensive.
Luapula Province Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit Regional Coordinator Abel Mwape says the TRALARD project has classified Lunga Town as a in phase 4 in terms of vulnerability due to perennial annual floods.
Mr. Mwape an interview indicated that the resources which his Unit is spending in addressing disasters in Lunga are too huge and can only be addressed by finding a longer lasting solution to the problem one of them being the deepening of the channels.
“As DMMU we are so excited by the TRALARD project in Lunga which will focus on clearing 4 main water channels because once this is done then the issue of floods will be a thing of the past,” Mr. Mwape said.
One of the main challenges which people of Lunga have faced for a long time is blocked water channels which makes it difficult for water to smoothly flow thereby causing floods which damages crops and collapsing of houses.
The Regional Coordinator discloses that DMMU has been trying to work on water channels but mainly it was just clearing and not deepening.
He mentioned that the TRALRD project which focuses on deepening and widening of the channels is ideal as it will deal with floods situation for a longer time.
“Once these water canals are worked on then we expect economic activities to increase in Lunga as people will be able to engage into serious farming without fearing that their crops will be washed away,” he noted.
The DMMU in the area will continue mitigating various disasters which might still occur in Lunga district even after the TRALRD project.
The Unit will be working on tributaries so as to ensure that there are no blockages of water which might cause disasters.
Lunga District is one of the five Towns in Luapula where the TRALARD project is being implemented and so far 8 Million dollars has been released to Sun Share the company contracted to work on 90 Kilometers of water Canals in a one year contract.
