China hands over 420 boreholes to Zambian communities

The Chinese government on Sunday handed over about 420 boreholes to rural communities to help improve their access to clean water in Zambia’s Central province.

The boreholes are part of 920 boreholes being sunk with the support of the Chinese government in 23 districts of Central and Luapula provinces.

Minister of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection Lloyd Kaziya said during the partial handover ceremony in Chisamba district in Central Province that the project will go a long way in improving the lives and health of over 280,000 people in the areas.

The Zambian minister, who thanked the Chinese government for the assistance, said the project was part of interventions the government has embarked on in addressing the challenges of water supply.

“Water remains a key development agenda as it plays a critical role in the socio-economic advancement of our country and also contributes to sustainable growth and poverty reduction,” he said.

The project started last year and is scheduled for completion before the end of this year. It came after the success of a first project funded by the Chinese government in 2013 to construct 201 boreholes that benefited about 50,250 people in eight selected districts of various parts of the country.

Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Yang Youming said his government decided to help Zambia sink the boreholes to help alleviate the challenges of access to clean water.

The Chinese envoy said it was unfortunate that 4.8 million people in Zambia lacked access to clean water, a situation that has resulted in frequent outbreaks of water-borne diseases such as typhoid.

“The importance of water cannot be overemphasized. It is essential for growing crops and achieving social economic growth and indeed for our daily life and ultimate survival of mankind,” he said.

According to him, the two countries have forged unshakable friendship and that the ties have become more consolidated in recent years, with increasing beneficial for both countries.

Chief Chamuka, a traditional leader in the district, thanked China for the gesture, saying the project has resulted in improved lives and health in the beneficiary communities.

According to him, the good relations between China and Zambia has given people in his chiefdom good memories of clean drinking water which will result in improved quality of life of the people. Enditem

Source: Xinhua/NewsGhana.com.gh

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