By George Mponda

Karonga, March 13, Mana: The Malawi Red Cross Society (MRCS) has installed a piped solar-powered water system worth K210 million at Ngara Trading Centre which will provide clean water to communities in the area of Senior Chief Mwirang'ombe in a bid to combat the spread of cholera.

Speaking during the handover ceremony of the project at Ngara Primary School, MRCS's Director of Health, Dan Banda, said through the Cholera Response project, they want to ensure a reliable and sustainable source of clean water for thousands of people in Karonga.

"The project, funded by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), aims to reduce the incidence of cholera and other water-borne diseases around Ngara Trade Centre an area plagued by recurring cholera outbreaks," said Banda.

"We have installed 16 water points around Ngara at schools, health facilities and in the villages to ensure that many people who relied on contaminated water sources, such as the lake and streams which posed a significant risk to their health are now safe," he added.

Banda said the new system uses solar power to pump clean water through two 10,000 litre tanks to a network of 16 taps, providing a safe and convenient source of water for drinking, cooking, and hygiene.

"It has a chlorine dosing chamber for water treatment which supplies water through a 3.2 kilometre pipeline to residential areas surrounding Ngara," he explained.

On his part, Group Village Head Muyereka who represented Senior Chief Mwirang'ombe praised MRCS for improving the overall health and well-being of residents, particularly children and vulnerable groups.

"For a long time, people around Ngara have been depending on water from Lake Malawi for drinking and washing. At the same time, this water was not safe because there are some individuals who use the lake as toilets a thing which causes frequent cholera cases in our area," said Muyereka.

One of the women from Chibwatiko Village, Sithembire Simwaba said the water system has also reduced distances women travelled to fetch water from Lake Malawi.

"We solely depended on the Lake to fetch water for use in our homes which made us travel long distances with buckets on our heads but now, water has come right to our doorsteps which is very commendable," Simwaba said.