To kick off we visited Chisekesi, a semi urban town which is post WaterAid intevention. Here the charity has worked closely with Southern Water and Sewerage Company to provide a water supply.
There are currently 2,500 people in the town and so far two thirds of those have access to a safe, clean water supply.
Before water was supplied in the town they got their water from open wells and suffered dysentery as a result. Since this water supply has been installed the health of local residents has improved drastically.
We first visited the solar powered pumping station. Due to it being solar powered, water can only be pumped during the day and when it's sunny, as soon as it clouds over the water stops. The water tank on site can hold one days worth of water. Once more money is available they may look to install a battery which can also be charged by the sun, that way when it clouds over or gets dark water can continue to be supplied.
The reason a solar powered pump was installed instead of an electric one, is purely down to costs, solar power is cheaper.
After a brief visit to see the pumping station we visited a kiosk which was installed in 2010 and is where locals can buy their water cheaply.
A water kiosk where local residents can buy clearn, safe water
Residents are charged approximately 15p per 20 litres and residents can pre-buy x40 of those 20 litres, that way they don't always need to worry about money.
The lady who runs the kiosk wants to expand to sell more than just water, so it becomes a small grocers too.
During this visit I got the impression this system has made a huge difference to the town, although a third of the town does not have access to this system Southern Water and Sewerage Company aim to connect them in the future.
While Chisekrshi was uplifting the second place we visited left us all confused and highlights the problems and issues WaterAid Zambia must encounter on a regular basis.
Muzoka is a peri-urban town where no work has yet taken place. Before work begins on any project WaterAid spends considerable time researching, speaking and educating locals and only when they are ready does WaterAid begin its work.
When entering the town what struck me was how rundown the town was, it appeared the locals did .it take too much pride in their environment, compared to the small villages we had visited before this was a shock.
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The village of Muzoka
We spoke to local councillors and officials about their water problem.
Muzoka has 560 households, a population of approximately 2,500 and two boreholes, only one of which is working. It does not take a genius to work out that one borehole, let alone two, is not enough for a population of this size.
Women get up at 3am to collect water, if they leave it much later then they will need to queue and then they run the risk of demand outstripping supply as the borehole struggles to produce the required amount if water. If the borehole runs dry they are forced to go to the river at the nearby dump where cattle go to wash etc.
Two years ago every household had its own latrine. However, when the rains came many collapsed, meaning many residents had to use a neighbour's latrine or revert back to what they used to do, go in open fields, plastic bags or dig holes. Some latrines have been re-dug, but not all.
We were confused as to why the town had prioritised installing electricity over water, however they said that it was because they thought water was to be installed at the same time.
We were also puzzled where the 3,500 kwacha (approximately 48p) that each household was paying towards maintenance of the boreholes was going as the broken borehole had not been repaired. We didn't get a satisfactory answer to that one!
It was clear there were a number of people vying to be leader which led to confusing messages and we all felt a little dejected by the whole meeting and what we saw. When I returned back to the hotel I had a few tears as I could not make sense if it all. Fortunately now I think I have my conclusion!
The community is desperate for a water supply but lack the knowledge and direction of how to go about installing one. The lack of a strong leader means committees aren't being created and residents are directionless.
This is why organisations such as WaterAid are vital, as considerable time is spent working with the community, informing them about the importance of clean water and sanitation, as well as providing that vital support when it comes to the installation of water and sanitation systems, but also how to operate as a community to maintain the equipment and knowledge.
Although this day was extremely upsetting and confusing, it is nothing compared with how I felt following Saturdays experience. It was extremely upsetting and harrowing. At the moment I can't think about what I witnessed today without welling up.
I hope tomorrow I will be able to put it all into words for you to read.
But for now, twalumba kapach (thank you very much (in Tonga) for continuing to read this blog.
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