Water and sanitation stakeholders called to collaborate to improve services

An appeal has gone out to all key stakeholders in water and sanitation subsection to collaborate in making sure that the country has improved water and sanitation services.

The call has been jointly made by the Ministry of Local government and Rural Development, Lilongwe City Council and the Ministry of Forestry and Natural Resources during the kick-off meeting of the Pan Africa Sanitation program held in Lilongwe on Friday.

Director of Chiefs Administration, Charles Makanga in the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Charles Makanga, said through effective collaboration, Malawi can control some of the health hazards that come due to poor sanitation.

Makanga, who was speaking on behalf of the Principal Secretary for the ministry, noted that that players in the industry have been working in isolation which has made it difficult for them to provide proper services to Malawians in the process some consequences have been costly to the nation.

He cited the Area 18 saga back in 2017 where some residents were supplied with contaminated water through water taps, saying it would have been avoided if players were up top their task.

“If stakeholders had well executed their duties, such an unforgettable incident would have been avoided, hence the need to scale up responsibilities to avoid similar incidents in future,” he said.

In her remarks, Mayor for the Lilongwe City Council, Juliana Kaduya, pointed out limited use of innovative ideas in effecting sanitation service delivery in the city as one of the factors attributing to the dwindling standards of sanitation activities.

Kaduya said most workers are too casual when executing their duties, which makes them fail to apply exotic methods.

The mayor said access to sanitation services is one of the crucial challenges African countries, including Malawi, are facing; hence, calling for consultative efforts to address them.

The African Water Association (AfWA) Director of Programmes, Simeon Kenfack, reiterated his organizations commitment to improving the quality of water and sanitation services in the country.

“We will continue to provide capacity building and support to actors in the water and sanitation sector to ensure access to water and sanitation services to all,” he said.

The Association was created in 1980 as the African Union of Water Distributors by French speaking leaders of water utilities in Africa willing to pool together their efforts against challenges linked to water utilities management.

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