WaterAid rollout WASH projects
…Chisanga says the WASH project will gobble a total of $ 3 Million foe over 40 Rural Health Centres and Health Posts.
By Francis Maingaila
Lusaka (28-09-18) – WaterAid Zambia has launched a two year WASH Projects that will be facilitating the supply of clean water to Rural Health Care (RHC) and Health Posts (HP) in selected Districts of the three provinces in Zambia.
WaterAid Country Director Pamela Chisanga told Journalists during the launch at Cresta Golfview Hotel in Lusaka that $ 3 Million will spend to successfully implement the project.
Chisanga identified the districts were the projects will be implemented as Mwense and Samfya in Luapula, Kazungula and Monze in Southern Province and Mwandi in Western province.
In these districts where the WASH project will be rolled out Chisanga explained, there is not only a low supply of water but also a high prevalence of diseases that due to poor access to water.
Chilanga explained that the funds will be used to put up sanitation facilities, sinking boreholes and building ablution blocks in identified RHC and HPs.
With the additional £1.5 million which is on the pipe line from other cooperating partners 20 more facilities will be constructed to bring the total number of facilities to 60.
According to Chisanga, the origin idea of coming up with this WASH project was to address the challenges of access to water blues and provide hygiene facilities in those communities that not only identified RHC and HP face but also elsewhere across the country.
Chisanga is of the view that the latest WASH project stand to benefit the people in areas where they will be implemented and is likely to reduce the number of deaths among women and children by more than half.
She also regretted that in some places where the WASH projected will be implemented, the facilities are not user friendly to children, women and the disabled.
“Improving the facilities will help the affected people to access good not only hygiene all the time but also reduce the mortality rate among pregnant women and children who face water and health facility crises.”
Chisenga also called for a full participation of the private sector in supplementing government efforts to provide safe water to the people.
“The task of providing water and health facilities should not be left in the hands of government alone. Our appeal therefore goes to the private sector to stand in the gape where the government is not able to provide the required facilitate.”
“As you know water is right and as such, it must be accessible by all the people irrespective of their political, civil or religious affiliation.”
And Abel Manangi on behalf of the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Waters Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection pledged government commitment to provide safe water to the people.
Malangi told journalists at the same function that the government value the contribution of the private sector on the provision of water to rural communities.
He regretted that inadequate water supplies in rural communities was the major factors why diseases associated with poor sanitation was on rise among rural communities.
He said currently, there is high mortality rate among women and children in most all parts of the country where there poor water facilities.
He said barely a month after WaterAid signed a memorandum of Understanding with his ministry to improve water supplies, WaterAid has embarked on another project to provide health facilities in RHC and HP posts.
He said this was a commendable work WatetAid was doing in Zambia and asked other Cooperating partners to emulate the good works done by WaterAid of providing health facilities and sanitation to communities in Zambia.
He conceded that currently, there inadequate facilities and the accessibilities to for many communities is also low.
He hope the WASH project which began in selected districts in three provinces will be rolled out to the rest of the country.