1. Posted on Monday 21 November 2011 - 09:45

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   FRAZER POTANI

   

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   Frazer Potani, AfricaNews reporter in Lilongwe, Malawi

   In an effort to facilitate an increase of people accessing safe water in Malawi, that country's government has hired a British firm to help it develop a water infrastructure strategy in the Southern African country.

   

   “WS Atkins will work with us to provide a framework for the implementation of economically, technically, environmentally and socially attractive water infrastructure investments in Malawi,” said Principal Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Sandram Maweru.
   
   WS Atkins was according to Maweru chosen from six bidders vying for the contract.
   
   “The British firm has been tasked with raising awareness over issues including preparation, financing, implementation and management of water infrastructure projects in Malawi,” he said.
   
   Having recently received K42 billion (over $250 million) funds from the World Bank's International Development Agency for its National Water Development Programme, Malawi’s Ministry of Irrigation and Water Development has said it is looking at dam construction on the Songwe, North Rukuru in the northern part of the country, Kasitu, Bua in the central region, Shire and Ruo Rivers in the southern region to enable surrounding communities access water for consumption and agriculture through irrigation.
   
   Malawi Government boasts that 80 in every 100 Malawians in the over 13 million population are accessing safe water.
   
   But during a Parliamentary session opened on Monday in Lilongwe last week Members of Parliament (MPs) argued that safe water access is still a challenge in Malawi.
   
   The legislators took Malawi’s Minister for Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Peter Mwanza to task to explain why the Bingu wa Mutharika government claims that it always delivers its promises yet it has not yet sunk the 965 boreholes (five boreholes in each of the 193 Constituencies countrywide) it had pledged.
   
   “While our government continues to claim that over 80 percent of people are accessing safe water in the country the truth of the matter is that people who had put us into public office as MPs are struggling to access this very vital commodity in our constituencies,” said Ibrahim Matola, one of MPs.
   
   Mwanza admitted that while Malawi Government has made some strides in water development in the country it was aware that some people were still struggling to access safe water.
   
   “We are therefore, appealing to the MPs including people in the country to be patient that as government we will do all we can to provide safe water for them. In fact safe water provision remains one of the priorities of this government,” he said.
   
   Recently, an international Non-Governmental-Organization (NGO), World Vision International (WVI) announced it is rolling out a $200 million safe water project in southern Africa including Malawi because a snap survey had revealed that over 4 million Malawians (over 30 per cent) struggle to access safe water.

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Reactions

1. Posted on Tuesday 24 April 2012 16:38

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   donatelo

   

   
   75 berichten
   Lid sinds April 2012

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   to bad that many people from Africa are in this situation. We should solve it. web designer

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