–Government through the Lusaka Water and Sanitation Company (LWSC) is set to drill 20 commercial boreholes in Kanyama Constituency.
Kanyama which has over 650 000 households was declared a Cholera Hotspot, a situation caused by poor sanitation and limited access to clean water.
This is part of the ongoing project meant to improve sanitation and access to clean and safe water in order to curb the outbreak of Cholera and other waterborne diseases in the area.
LWSC Director for Technical operations, Dennis Malambo disclosed this during the LWSC Townhall Meeting held at Kanyama Constituency.
Mr Malambo further revealed that high yielding water sources have already been identified in preparation for the exercise.
He explained that out of the 20 boreholes, 10 have been allocated to Kanyama township while George compound will benefit from the other 10.
He also announced that 8000 individual connections to the LWSC system have been made with 14 operational water kiosks in the Constituency.
The Director however bemoaned the lack of willingness by some residents in the Constituency to have their connections metered, adding that this negatively affects revenue generated by the water utility company.
“In Makeni Villa, most connections are not metered hence are on a fixed billing regardless of water consumption. Bills are the lifeblood of the company as its contributions from consumers enable sustainable water supply,” Mr Malambo stated.
And Ministry of Water Development Permanent Secretary, Romas Kamanga who officiated at the meeting said the Government has made great progress in improving public health in Kanyama Constituency.
He disclosed that the Government in partnership with the LWSC has embarked on the procurement and installation of a new 350 cubic meter elevated tank as well as rehabilitation of the existing 110 cubic meter capacity one to improve water storage in Kanyama.
He added that acquisition of land for water infrastructure, providing subsidised household connections are also among other developments currently underway.
He has since called on residents of Kanyama Constituency to cooperate with LWSC and allow metered water connections to be made.
“Government is working hard towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal number 6 which seeks to improve sanitation and access to clean water for all by the year 2030. This cannot be achieved if people do not allow metered connections to enable billing by the Water Utility Company,” The Permanent Secretary said.
Earlier, Kanyama Member of Parliament, Monty Chikuli bemoaned the water and sanitation challenges in his Constituency.
He revealed that communal tanks which were provided by the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) have cracked and are no longer able to store water.
He expressed gratitude to the Government for the efforts to improve water and sanitation in the area.
