Government has spent K722, 000 to sink 19 boreholes in three districts in Muchinga Province to improve access to clean and safe water. Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) acting provincial coordinator Joshua Banda said in an interview that the boreholes have been sunk in rural parts of Mpika, Chama and Kanchibiya districts following the contamination of water due to floods. Mr Banda said five boreholes have been established in Mpika while 12 are located in Chama with another two in Kanchibiya.

“We experienced terrible floods in the three districts which affected the quality of water that the residents were accessing from the various sources of water,” he said. Mr Banda said an assessment was conducted and it revealed contamination of water sources in rural parts of the three districts. He said people in the affected areas use pit latrines and rely on streams and shallow wells for water supply. “When the three districts were hit by floods, the water from the pit latrines got mixed up with water from the streams and shallow wells.

“This resulted in residents in the affected areas to suffer from waterborne diseases,” he said. Mr Banda said the water infrastructure in the affected areas has improved access to safe water and at the same time eradicating waterborne diseases. He said Mafinga district was also identified as an area which is set to benefit from the borehole project.

“But the impassable road network in Mafinga has made it difficult for the DMMU to sink the boreholes,” he said. Mr Banda assured people in Muchinga Province that the DMMU will continue to implement projects which will uplift their living standards.