Rumphi communities excited with access to improved potable water

Malawi: Rumphi district residents have expressed their enthusiasm for improved potable water access in their communities.

This comes after the Anglican Council in Malawi (ACM) installed piped water in some villages in Rumphi district as part of the TRANSFORM Programme, which is coordinated by Norwegian Church Aid (NCA)/Danish Church Aid (DCA) Malawi and its partners in the country.

On Tuesday, 12 July 2022 during a media tour organised by NCA/DCA Malawi to celebrate the success of the TRANSFORM Programme in Rumphi and other districts, Linda Mponela, a woman from Kamonyela village in the area of Traditional Authority (T/A) Mwalweni in Rumphi district, said she is pleased with the arrival of piped water in her village.

She said: "Before the arrival of piped water in our village, we used to draw water from a well on the riverbank near the village; the water was always dirty and unsafe to drink, but we continued to use it because we had no other option; as a result, most of the time we were suffering from waterborne diseases such as diarrhea. But now, with the arrival of piped water in our village, we no longer have access to water at the well we used to draw water before.”

As a result, she praised ACM's TRANSFORM Program for assisting in bringing potable water to her village, claiming that the development is more valuable to them as villagers.

Vyalema Gondwe, Chairperson of the Water Point Committee, which is collaborating with ACM on the installation of piped water in Rumphi district, stated that 21 water points have been installed in approximately 21 villages in T/A Mwalweni alone.

He went on to say that as a committee, they are also encouraging villagers to use the pipe in other ways, such as watering backyard vegetable gardens, where they would grow vegetables for profit.

Speaking after touring the TRANSFORM Programme project sites in Rumphi district, NCA/DCA Eluby Kanyenda Kasinja stated that the TRANSFORM Programme aims to bring transformation to the country's rural areas.

"With the TRANSFORM Program, we are attempting to transform communities by ensuring that they are food secure, have improved income productivity, and there is also a Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) component that is being carried out," Kasinja explained.

Apart from touring the piped water development, members of the press also visited the construction of the modern toilets dubbed "Mamuna apumule," which is being built in a pilot phase at Kapyolambavi Primary School in the area of Paramount Chief Chikulamayembe in Rumphi district with support from the Catholic Development Commission (CADECOM), which is also operating under the TRANSFORM Programme in the area.

Among those who attended the tour were journalists from AfricaBrief, Nyasatimes, Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), Malawi News Agency (Mana), Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS), Luntha TV, and Times Group.