Government enhancing access to clean water in Petauke

The Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation is drilling two boreholes in Petauke district of Eastern Province in order to enhance access to quality safe drinking water for surrounding communities.

Speaking when she inspected the drilling of a borehole at Mphanda village, Petauke District Commissioner (DC), Martha Mulenga, said government remains resolute on providing quality safe drinking water closer to the people.

“This borehole is a full package and has been done under the Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation. We have two boreholes that have been given to us as Petauke district and both boreholes have been done in Petauke Central constituency in Mbala ward,” she said.

Ms Mulenga said the second borehole will be sunk at a health post in Nseko area.

“As we are all aware, the President is saying where we have a health post, we must have a full package, what does that mean? It means having a proper maternity annex, placenta pit, incinerator, water reticulation and ablution block,” she explained.

Meanwhile, village headman Mphanda, Matthews Mwansa, said his area had only one borehole and was not enough to cater for the population there.

Headman Mphanda said due to lack of enough sources of water in his village, his subjects were prone to suffering from diarrheal diseases.

“I have 145 households, so from the past governments, I have not received the help I needed. So reports of children falling sick was a daily thing. So we asked the government and today we have been given a borehole,” he said.

And Veronica Mwanza, a 72-year-old resident of Mphanda village, said the borehole was a game changer for elderly people as it will enable them access clean and safe drinking water.

Ms Mwanza said people in the area used to cover long distances to fetch water from a source where animals were also drinking from.

“I am 72-years-old, I was not managing to fetch water, so if I don’t find someone to fetch for me water, then it would be a problem. But now, I am happy,” she said.

Meanwhile, Langiwe Banda, who was born and bred in Mphanda village, said this would be her first time to have a water source nearby since she was born.

“Ever since I was born, this is my first time seeing a borehole in our village. We used to fetch water from a stream, we have had a rough upbringing, and diarrheal diseases were never ending because of drinking unsafe water,” she said.