During the commemorations at Prisons Ground, master of Katanti Sichula and pupils from Katima and Sesheke secondary schools took a jibe at WWSC for the poor service offered to Sesheke residents.
WWSC human resource and administration manager Pauline Sakala, who apologised to the gathering for non-supply of water for two days prior to World Water Day commemorations, attributed the lack of water in the district to a breakdown at the water plant.
Speaking later at World Water Day celebrations, whose theme was “Nature for Water,” Western Province Permanent Secretary Sibanze Simuchoba described the service coverage for water in Western Province, which stands at 62 percent compared to the national average of 85 percent, as very low.
“Sanitation in Western Province is still at 36 percent, lagging behind the national average of 60 percent.
My government is therefore poised to meet this challenge head-on,” Mr Simuchoba said.
Under rural water, US$38.23 million has been financed by AfDB for 1,200 boreholes in Western Province,” Mr Simuchoba said.
A new contractor has been engaged to complete Muoyo Water supply project at K9.9 million,” he said.
Mr Simuchoba appealed to the traditional leadership to support the company’s expansion plans throughout the province by discouraging squatters on water well fields and boreholes.
“This is why my government has demonstrated its commitment to meeting the SDGs in the water and sanitation sector by creating a fully-fledged ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection,” Mr Simuchoba said.
He said Government’s approach to ensuring that its citizens access safe, affordable, adequate drinking water and sanitation services began with the water sector reforms of 1994, where service delivery was separated from water resources management.