Japan hands over facilities for Malawi rural water supply
The Government of Japan has handed over a project for selected market centres and rural water supply for Mchinji and Kasungu districts which will enable people of the two districts have access to potable water.
Japan through the Japanese General Grant AID (JGGA), provided a grant amounting to US$5.4 million for the construction of piped water facilities in two market centres in Santhe, Kasungu and Mkanda in Mchinji.
The project also facilitated rehabilitation of 280 boreholes and construction of 54 new boreholes in Mchinji district.
Speaking during the official handover ceremony of the project at Mkanda in Mchinji, The Japanese Ambassador to Malawi Shuichiro Nishioka said through the project over 100,000 people are expected to access safe and potable water.
“The government of Japan recognises the importance safe and clean water for the wellbeing of the people of Malawi, as such, water resource development is one of the key pillars our official development assistance policy for Malawi,” Nishioka said.
In his speech, Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Dr George Chaponda said government through its development and cooperating partners such as Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and other stakeholders should take a leading role in coming up with innovations and efforts that are geared towards provision of safe water.
“It is pleasing to note that government and JICA targeted Mchinji with 54 boreholes and rehabilitating 280 existing boreholes, this will greatly improve accessibility to safe water, this intervention is a critical component towards poverty reduction and improvement of quality of life for rural communities as enshrined in the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy,” Chaponda explained.
He then advised communities using the water facilities, to exercise good care in operation and maintenance saying there should be no room for vandalism of the facilities as this, derails development.
“There is tradition in Malawi that when a borehole is drilled, some people come at night and remove some parts, this is contrary to what President Peter Mutharika promotes that people in the country should be patriotic and love our country,” he said.
Chaponda then hailed the Japanese Government through JICA for contributing resources and support to the government to improve the welfare of people in the country.
Before the official handover ceremony, the Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development George Chaponda and the Japanese Ambassador to Malawi Shuichiro Nishioka visited newly drilled boreholes at Zandana in Traditional Authority Mkanda.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
