Blantyre Water Board Fights Blantyre's Sanitation Woes

December 10, 2010
By The Nation (Malawi paper)

The onset of rain usually brings joy to many people in Malawi since it is associated with a good harvest which helps people avert hunger.

But to some residents in Malawi’s commercial city, Blantyre, the rains are almost a curse. They are a source of waterborne diseases such as cholera.

From December 2009 to June 2010, Blantyre recorded over 250 cholera cases. Eight people died of the disease.

The rains, therefore, will compound the already fragile sanitation system in the sprawling unplanned townships of Blantyre which are home to 70 percent of the population in the commercial city.

Rainwater sometimes damages pit latrines and may sweep the discharge of untreated waste into water systems. This creates multiple issues, such as polluting drinking water, creating a breeding ground for insects that spread diseases, and exposes bathers to infectious diseases.

The curving in of pit latrines and collapsing of toilet walls means no toilets are available and people have no choice but to defecate in the open. Not only does this create unpleasant living conditions, but also contaminates the groundwater in areas with a high population density.

However, the trends are about to change for the better according to Water for People, a non profit international development organisation.

Water for People did a baseline survey last year which indicated that the majority of households in Blantyre’s peri-urban have traditional pit latrines that do not meet the government definition of “improved sanitation facilities.”

The study showed that less than 20 percent of the population in the city have improved sanitation facilities. The purpose of the study was to assess drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in Blantyre peri-urban.

According to the study, many residents use traditional pit latrines that are shared with extended families and neighbours or had no sanitation facilities at all.

The development corroborates study findings done by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the Scottish Government titled Malawi’s statistics mask struggle to meet MDG for water and sanitation in urban areas which was released last year.

The report said Malawi is failing to meet the Millennium Development Goal for water and sanitation in its urban areas and misleading official statistics are hiding the gravity of the problem.

Recently, Water for People public health specialist Mike Chimalira said standards call for personal latrines but most households share traditional pit latrines with several other neighbours.

“The danger of this situation is evidenced by the fact that every year, Blantyre continues to register outbreaks of cholera and other diarrhoea diseases. As a result, deaths caused by waterborne diseases remain a challenge,” he said.

The remarks were made last week at Chirimba Primary School during a Blantyre peri-urban water and sanitation project promotion campaign of improved latrines, pit emptying technology and hand washing facilities.

However, the situation is set to improve for the better soon.

Blantyre Water Board (BWB), a water utility organisation operated by the government of Malawi, sourced 31 million euros from the European Union (EU) Water Facility and European Investment Bank (EIB) to bring safe drinking water and improved sanitation to people in low income areas of peri-urban Blantyre.

BWB chose Water for People to facilitate service provision for the project. The EU and EIB provided the funds to BWB to meet its goal of increasing water and sanitation access.

BWB acting projects implementation manager Thoko Kaitane said the project started last year and is expected to end in 2013. He said 363 water kiosks are expected to be constructed by the end of the project. So far, 30 water kiosks have been constructed.