The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Abida Sidik Mia, says the piped water scheme that the government of Malawi is implementing is progressing well.
Mia disclosed this in parliament when she was answering questions from legislators on water challenges facing people in some parts of the country.
According to Mia, there are a lot of piped water schemes that are going into many constituencies, and as a ministry, they are moving and hoping to achieve SDG six by 2030 to ensure that there is safe drinking and sanitation for all.
“You have seen some members of parliament coming to thank me for the schemes that we have put in their constituencies. So we are moving according to the funding we are getting, and we are also moving with the donor partners that are assisting us, making sure that we spread them evenly across the country, showing them the most areas that are very hard to reach water, like in the villages, so that the women don’t have to move so far,” she explained.
On the issue of Cholera, Mia said the government would contain cholera cases in the country, and they have put up measures to avoid the further spread of Cholera.
” We have a Presidential Task Force that His Excellency, Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, has put in place to ensure that, steps are taken to control outbreaks. So do not worry the government has it under control. At the moment, when we talk about hand washing, we only sit at 15% which is very low. So we still have a lot to do about hygiene and sanitation as well. But when it comes to water coverage, we’re moving at a very steady pace, very fast. So we will contain the disease,” said Mia.
She assured the members of parliament that her ministry is doing everything possible to improve water connectivity and distribution.
Some MPs asked the ministry to rectify the problems of the water in their constituencies as soon as possible, to address the further spread of cholera, which has been reported in some parts of the country.
