THE effects of climate change that have effected over 80 percent of Zambians has not spared Katete district in Eastern Province as a drought has seen the drying up of the main dam that provides water in the district.
Due to this effect, over 40,000 residents in the district have been affected with water supply and sanitation.
This information came to light yesterday morning through Eastern Province Acting Permanent Secretary Lewis Mwape during a courtesy call from Local Government and Rural Development Permanent Secretary Technical Services Nicholas Phiri.
Dr Mwape who attributed the lack of water to the drought said the cause has also affected dams even in the surrounding districts.
And to tackle the challenge, Dr Mwape said the government is currently drilling four to six boreholes to ensure the availability of water in the affected districts.
He said the programme is being promptly implemented through the Eastern Province Water and Sanitation company.
After the successful implementation, it will ensure that Katete residents have water supply of at least eight hours per day.
“Normally, Katete has 100 percent water availability but due to the dry spell, the district is having challenges accessing water. This has not only affected the daily livelihood of people, but also businesses that depend on good water supply to run,” said Dr Mwape.
And responding to the challenge, Phiri advised the affected districts to jump on the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to drill boreholes to ensure that people have access to clean water.
He said government had increased the CDF allocation to tackle to such emergency problems that intend to affect the daily livelihood of the people, especially were sanitation is involved as it threatens the health of the people.
By Buumba Mwitumwa in Chipata, Eastern Province
Kalemba September 21, 2024
