Tue, 28 Aug 2012 09:50:52 +0000
NYIMBA district in Eastern Province is facing a serious water crisis as the only dam that provides water for both animals and humans has dried up.
The water shortage was forcing people to travel long distances to either Luangwa or Petauke districts to fetch the commodity.
Eastern Water and Sewerage Company Managing Director Wamuwi Changani confirmed the development to the Daily Nation saying water levels had drastically gone down and if nothing was done soon, the people in the district would not have water supply at all.
Mr. Changani said that the problem was reported to government in January this year through the then Minister of Local Government Prof. Nkandu Luo and was still waiting for action before the situation got out of hands.
“ If government fails to urgently construct five boreholes in the next three weeks to address the situation, both animals and human beings will be in for a rough time,
“Yes I can confirm that we have a water crisis which needs to be attended to with the urgency it deserves. The water levels in our only dam in the district has gone down to a level where if nothing is done in the coming few days the district and other nearby areas will completely have no water” said Mr. Changani.
He said the company had proposed to government to put up five boreholes at a cost of K5 billion to mitigate the water crisis but nothing was forthcoming.
Meanwhile, some residents talked to in the district said the problem was as a result of the increased population and economic activities in the area.
Reuben Tembo a small scale farmer in the district said the area had attracted small scale investors in tourism and agriculture sectors which have pushed up demand for water.
