By SARAH MWANZA –
SOME Gwembe residents have expressed happiness at Water Aid Zambia’s commitment to providing safe and clean drinking water in the district.
Water Aid Zambia has constructed a number of boreholes in the four wards of Gwembe District providing water to more than 12,000 people.
Peter Kanchebele, a resident, said before Water Aid Zambia constructed the boreholes, people used to face a lot of challenges in finding clean drinking water.
He said being a valley, people in the area depended on shallow wells for drinking water and even animals usually drunk from the same wells.
“We used to suffer from diarrhoeal diseases due to dirty water we were subjected to because even animals used to drink from there,” he said.
Ruth Hamaundu said life in the valley had become easy as water was readily available for the residents throughout the year.
She said during hot season finding clean water was a challenge as they were required to travel long distances to find the commodity.
She said the situation was made worse in the hot season as most dams dried up leaving just a few dams in far-flung areas.
“During hot season we used to spend the day just in search of water but with these boreholes the story is now different as we have water throughout the year,” she said.
Water Aid Zambia programme officer Kangwa Chinkutele said the organisation Big Lottery Fund had pumped in £499,972, while Water Aid Zambia contributed £212,187 towards the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project for improved sanitation and hygiene to the rural populace.
She said the project, which started in 2013, was aimed at constructing and rehabilitating 81 boreholes in Kazungula, Gwembe and Monze districts.
“The project is aimed at reaching 17,750 people in water supply through the rehabilitation and construction of 81 water points and 23,340 people in sanitation and hygiene through the construction of
3,860 latrines by next year November 2016,” she said.
And Gwembe District Council Secretary Dewine Kaoma called on Government to complement Water Aid Zambia’s commitment of providing clean and safe drinking water by constructing more boreholes.

Empower youths, Govt  urged

By ADRIAN MWANZA –
KABWE’S Makululu Ward chairperson Geoffrey Mukosha has called on Government to empower youths in the area.
Mr Mukosha said youths had no recreational facilities, prompting them to engage in illicit behaviour such as drug and alcohol abuse.
He said Youth, Sport and Child Development Minister Vincent Mwale needed to ensure that youths were empowered with Youth Empowerment Funds.
He also urged the Member of Parliament Sydney Mushanga to help the people in the area by improving water reticulation.
Mr Mukosha said water was erratic and the community depended on water kiosks.
“People in Makululu depend on four water Kiosks to cater for the entire community,” he said.
And Lottie Bwalya, a youth, said young people in the community did not have any recreational facilities which forced them to indulge in alcohol and drug abuse.
Mr Bwalya said there was need for Government to put up policies which would make it possible for young people to contribute to the country’s economic growth.
“Government needs to come up with policies that will empower us the youth,” he said.

Slow pace of works irks Lumumba traders

By SARAH MWANZA
VENDORS trading along Lumumba Road have expressed displeasure at the pace at which the Lusaka City Council (LCC) is constructing the Simon Mwewa Lane Market.
The irate vendors accused LCC of not being serious with addressing the issue of vendors in the central business district (CBD).
To remove vendors from trading on the streets in the CBD, the LCC in October last year embarked on the construction of a market along Simon Mwewa Lane.
However, works which were supposed to complete in April this year have stalled and this has not been received well by the vendors.
Kelly Chilandu, a vendor, said LCC’s delay to finish the construction of the market had contributed to the increase in vendors on the street.
She called on the LCC to expedite works before the onset of the rains as the project risked being delayed further once it started raining.
“LCC should do everything possible to ensure that works are completed because with the onset of the rains the works will be delayed further,” she said.
Cholwe Haamududu said it would become very difficult to trade from the streets once it started raining hence appealing to the council to relocate them as soon.
He said the news that they would be relocated cheered many vendors but they had no idea that it would take this long for the market to be completed.
“We want to trade from a decent and safe place but the market along Simon Mwewa Lane is taking longer than we anticipated,” she said.
He said the vendors were grateful that that LCC was constructing a market for them but expressed disappointment with the pace at which they were moving.
And Peter Phiri said the site should not remain an eyesore for a long time as call boys would take advantage and start doing their own business there.
“This tendency of starting to build some projects and fail to finish should come to an end because such things bring confusion,” he said.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, LCC deputy spokesperson Brenda Katongola said works on the site were currently on hold because of logistical problems.
Once the market is built, more than 500 street vendors are expected be relocated to the site.

South youths safeguard environment

By BRIAN HATYOKA –
THIRTY—TWO Livingstone-based youths have started making benches from plastic bottles and other recycled materials to mitigate indiscriminate disposal of waste and ultimately safeguard the environment.
The youths, who are part of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)’s Livingstone Unite for Climate Child Ambassadors, already delivered some benches at Maramba Old People’s Home and Maramba Community Centre.
Unite for Climate Chaperone Micheal Musenga said the youth were making more benches for use by elderly people at Maramba Old People’s Home.
Mr Musenga said the exercise would make the environment clean if more people learnt how to make benches out of the waste and other recycled materials.
“The old people at Maramba Old People’s Home are happy with the benches as they have something to sit on as they are resting.
“Youths are using plastic bottles, papers, waste and stones to make the benches.
The benches are very strong and they can be used in ordinary homes,” Mr Musenga said.
He said the exercise was aimed at raising awareness on the need for citizens to take care of the environment.
“The project of making benches from plastic bottles and other recycled materials will not only help Zambia but the entire world to curb impact of climate change and its effects.
“Climate change is a global problem and therefore combined efforts are needed. We should work together by observing such events as today’s and doing activities that are of great benefit to all of us,” Mr Musenga said.
He said there was no doubt that the benches would have a positive impact on the environment.
So far, UNICEF has trained more than 1,000 youths as climate ambassadors in its quest to mitigate the effects of climate change.

‘Shut down bars allowing underage patrons’

By PASSY HAACHIZO –
MTENDERE residents have implored the relevant authorities to shut down bars whose owners do not follow the law by opening early and allowing underage patrons.
Hawa Njovu said during a meeting organised by African Directions in Lusaka that there was
urgent need for the council to bring the culprits to book, shutting down such facilities and employing measures which would discourage underage patrons from visiting bars.
“Like this time at 10:00 hours if you go you will find a number of youths in different bars in Mtendere. What is the council doing about it? Why can’t they shut down bars that open as early as 08:00 hours?” Ms Hawa said.
She said in some parts of Lusaka like Mtendere Township young people spent more time drinking beer at the expense of engaging in developmental things.
Another resident, Astone Banda said it was unfortunate that many young people drunk without reasoning which in the end made them get involved in illicit activities such as prostitution.
Mtendere Ward 30 councillor Benjamin Chanda said the Lusaka City Council had tried to fight the problem but young people had proved to be a problem.
“I now appeal to youths to be responsible in the manner they conduct themselves. If we drink like I don’t know, that ruins your future,” he said.
Mtendere Police officer-in-charge Namonda pledged to work together with the relevant authorities and ensure that the situation in Mtendere was normalised.
Kalikiliki officer-in-charge Constable Mwana attributed the problem in the area to poverty which he said had made people do things ‘behind the anthill’.