Residents in Balaka District continue to express dismay with Southern Region Water Board (SRWB) over what they say is ‘gross negligence’ in the provision of water to its customers in the district.
Malawi24 understands that SRWB customers in Balaka have been struggling to access uninterrupted water supply dating back to the last quarter of 2022, but the situation has worsened in January 2023, a development many says is pathetic as cholera epidemic is at its peak.
A snap check conducted by Malawi24 in most of the residential areas reveals shocking experiences as some residents complain that they can spend even a week without receiving the precious commodity on their taps.
Elvis Banda,a resident of Majiga 2 in the district, narrates that the problem has created a wave of anxiety among the people in his neighborhood as many are in the dark as what the future holds for them.
”The situation is worrisome especially at this era of cholera outbreak where communities are being encouraged to observe necessary sanitary measures in a bid to contain the outbreak,” Banda said.
He added, ”We are spending even a week before accessing water from our taps. The only nearby borehole in our area is overwhelmed with the number of residents striving to access the commodity. As such, many are resorting to fetching the commodity from unprotected sources, risking their lives from contracting water-borne diseases including cholera in the process.”
Another resident of the district, Ruth Gondwe, decries that the situation has created a hostile environment for girls and women as they have to always wake up at midnight hoping to fetch water.
She therefore suggested that it is high time the water utility company devised long lasting solutions that might resolve the water woes the district has been facing.
”Why can’t the Board tap water from Shire River which is just a few kilometers from Balaka to completely deal with the problem?” she wondered.
Our efforts to talk to the Board’s Publicist, Ritta Makwangwala, didn’t materialize as she did not respond to our written questionnaire.
But inside sources who spoke on condition of anonymity say the Board is experiencing problems to pump water from its intake at Nsamala ground water wells due to persistent malfunctioning of water pumps.
Meanwhile, according to data provided by Ministry of Health, cholera cumulative cases in the district stand at 1, 694 cases and 54 deaths as of 26 January. The district recorded its first cholera case on March 2, 2022.
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