Expert pushes for review of water polices in Malawi  

An expert on water and sanitation in Malawi, George Chaima is attributing the water problem facing the country to the government’s failure on issues of water management.

Chaima a civil society organizations representative for Africa on Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) – a global partnership which works to a common vision id access to safe water and adequate sanitation, says it is disturbing to see that Malawi which has plenty of water sources like Lake Malawi Shire River, Lake Chiuta and Chirwa, is facing water problem.

“We have massive waters in Lake Malawi, there, water doesn’t dry and yet we are not utilizing that water. This means that somewhere Malawi is failing to plan how it can properly utilize it resources,” says Chaima.

Chaima says this can range from lack of political will, or lack of proper planning for the resources to meet the needs of the people.

He says with the availability of lots of water resources government should have ensured that all Malawians have accesses to safe water.

“All Malawians would have access to tap water. I they can’t provide tap water they must provide at least safe boreholes where women can go and find water in its plenty. Therefore there is need for government to work jointly with all partners to find lasting solution to the challenges it is facing in water sector.”

To achieve this, Chaima says, the government systems must clear all the roadblocks that they create for the information to reach the right people.

“And also policies must be reviewed. Malawi must set up policies that are conducive to the people when it comes to water supply and sanitation where everybody must be included. We are talking about inclusive policies. The poor, the vulnerable the, and the physically challenged people must have equitable access to water.”

He also says water should be readily available in schools whereby children should wash their hands after going to the toilets.

“We don’t want women to be raped in the bush just because they went to search for water at night.”

Taps in Malawi have for the past three months, often run dry, forcing residents to draw water from unprotected sources like rivers and wells as a result the risk of contracting water-borne diseases is rising.