By MacPherson Mukuka
On 22 March of
every year, Zambia joins the rest of the world in commemorating the World Water
Day… this year''s event was held on the Sunday under the theme: Water for sustainable
development…
However, Zambia had
to push the commemoration of the event to Wednesday March 25th, to
attract more participation especially from the general public.
During the very day
of the event, Zambia being a SADC member state was also celebrating the water
week which coincides with the commemoration of world water.
Speaking on the sidelines
of the Commemoration, World Vision Zambia, Water and Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) technical
advisor Sebastian Kunda, says sustainable
development can only be attained if there is water provision in the
communities.
Mr.
Kunda adds that domestication of water especially in
rural communities gives a families enough time to do other things other than concentrating
of drawing water from distant places.
Mr.
Kunda says his Organisation which focuses on the
development of children’s education, health and wellbeing in totality, has been
working relentlessly in the Southern Province of Zambia to see to it that water
and Sanitation is provided to the rural families.
He said the provision
of water in the area has made the life of farmers in the Southern province
because they can now grow vegetables for marketing from which they realize some
funds to pay for their children’s education.
He said Gwembe and
Magoye farmers have mainly benefited from the World Vision’s projects as most
of them are into dairy farming.
He said this has been
so because the World Vision in enhancing the provision of water as a resource
for sustainable development.
The Wash technical advisor
further indicated that Government has a huge task ahead of it to ensure there
is provision of water for sustainable development in Zambia.
He said the Ministry
of Mines Energy and Water Development needs to set up community dam that will
provide readily available water for communities to venture into irrigation
farming and thereby earn some income once the produce are ready for sale.
Mr.
Kunda further said if the abundant water resource that
Zambia has is utilised to maximum potential, even the power outages the country
is currently facing will come to an end because there will be more Hydro Power
stations in the country to generate more electricity to mitigate the deficit.
Meanwhile, United
Nations Children’s Fund wash officer Humble Siboli told a gathering during the Water
Day exhibition that his Organisation has been supporting the government of
Zambia through the provision of boreholes which supplied to over 8 hundred
thousand people.
And Government says
water is at the core of sustainable development and is critical for
socio-economic development, healthy ecosystems and for human survival.
Energy and Water Development
Deputy Minister Charles Zulu also told the Gathering that Water is Vital for
reducing the global burden of disease and improving the health, welfare and
productivity of populations.
Mr. Zulu also noted
that although Zambia boast of relatively abundant water resources, the country is
still faced with challenges in ensuring access to sustainable safe water
supplies for all competing needs.
And Bright well Ntini
a school going pupil of Chawama Township, called on Government to ensure that
the theme: water for sustainable development, is seen to its logical conclusion.
Meanwhile, National
Water Supply and Sanitation Council (NWASCO) Public relations Manager Rose
Tembo the 2015 theme water day theme has come at the right time when the world
is reviewing the progress it has made on the millennium development goals on
water.
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