By Salome Gangire

Neno, April 3, Mana: People of Zalewa in Neno will soon enjoy safe and potable water following a project by Southern Region Water Board (SRWB) that will install piped water system at the trading centre.

Zalewa Trading Centre and surrounding areas has no piped water and communities use ground water from boreholes and due to salinity, communities are compelled to use water from Shire River which is not safe.

Briefing District Executive Committee (DEC) meeting on Tuesday, Zalewa Water Supply Project Implementation Manager, Engineer Maxin Saulosi, said the water supply project will be carried out with financial support from the Export-Import Bank of India and will serve a population of 12,118 by 2040.

He said government has secured funding from the Export-Import Bank for drinking water supply schemes and other developments and has allocated part of amount for the construction of new water source on Shire River and associated infrastructure to Blantyre and SRWB.

“As SRWB, we have been given $65.6 million to establish new water supply centres at Ulongwe in Balaka, Thondwe in Zomba, Migowi in Phalombe, Fatima in Nsanje and Zalewa in Neno and upgrade and extend existing water supply schemes at Mwanza, Liwonde and Balaka,” Saulosi said.

He said SRWB is mandated to supply water to all the towns and market centres in southern region and decided to provide water at Zalewa looking at the growth of the trading centre.

The project will also construct 10 communal water points targeting people with low income at Zalewa.

“The project will start anytime soon as we are just waiting for approval of no objection from Indian government,” he said.

Water Development Officer at Neno District Council, Richard Mkandawire said Zalewa was facing a lot of challenges because of no potable water as a result communities experience a number of water borne disease outbreaks like cholera and typhoid.

He said the SRWB project will solve all the problems as it will lead to growth of Zalewa Trading Centre, observing that people were reluctant to open their businesses because there was no piped water.

“The coming of this project will make more people to come and open businesses which will lead to the growth of the trading centre,” Mkandawire said.

Zalewa has a population of 6,060 according to the 2018 Population and Housing Census.