Milenge DC calls for replacement of water hand pumps

——Milenge District Commissioner, Mukupa Mutale, has appealed to government and cooperating partners in the water and sanitation sector to consider replacing India Mark II hand pumps with the Afri-dev pumps so that people could appreciate the water points.

Officiating at the handover of 106 UNICEF supported boreholes in Milenge yesterday, Mr Mutale said the water points installed by the Indian Mark II pumps have been abandoned by communities due to high iron contents in water produced as a result of using galvanised pipes.

The boreholes were drilled by Zambezi Drilling and Exploration Limited at a cost of more than K5, 300,000.

Mr Mutale said the use of Indian mark II hand pumps has derailed government’s efforts of providing sustainable access to safe water as most of the water points are never used for the intended purposes.

The DC noted that water points with the Afri-dev hand pump have good water compared to those with Indian mark II.

And Council Secretary, Carolyn Mpande, reaffirmed the local authority‘s commitment in ensuring that the water points are put to good use.

Ms Mutale implored the communities to put the water points to good use so that they continue providing safe water.

She, however, assured the community that government is doing everything possible to address the challenge of iron content in the water.