The construction of 5 piped water schemes out of the 10 is ongoing in Nkeyema, Kaoma, Luampa, Limulunga and Mongu Districts, with an overall progress of 61% while the rest of the schemes, whose contract has been signed, will be built in Mwandi, Mulobezi, Sioma, Shang’ombo and Nalolo Districts.
And 664,000 people in Western Province have benefited from the US$38 million Water Supply and Sanitation Project as government has constructed 647 boreholes in Western Province, distributed in all the 16 districts.
This is out of the 1, 231 targeted under the Transforming Rural Livelihoods in Western Zambia – TRLWZ project, being implemented with support from the African Development Bank, meant to reduce the distances covered by mostly rural women when fetching water from rivers and other natural sources.
In a statement made available to the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, by the Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection Public Rational Officer Amos Zulu, the Transforming Rural Livelihoods in Western Zambia is part of the phase two of the National Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Programme – NRWSSP II.
He said the Ministry is implementing two National Programmes: The National Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Programme; and the National Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Programme, at an estimated cost of US$6 billion.
Zulu said the project aims at providing sustainable and equitable access to improved water supply and sanitation, to meet basic needs for improved health, social conditions and poverty alleviation to 664,000 people in the rural parts of the western province.
He added that the project also involves the construction of 900 sanitation facilities in selected public places such as schools, health posts, markets and bus stations in all the 16 districts. “Further, 770 boreholes and 470 hand dug wells will be rehabilitated while 6 bio – digesters, 250 hand dug wells, 150 manually drilled boreholes and 9 spare part shops are being constructed”, he said.
