LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Minister of Water and Sanitation, Abida Sidik Mia on Friday, November 25, 2022 paid a working visit to Innovation Africa at the water supply project sites in Mangochi South Constituency.
Accompanied by the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Lilian Patel, Minister Mia visited Mwinthwa village; a newly identified site where construction work is expected to start next week.
During the visit, Mia inspected current water source and interacted with the community.
She also visited Mgoji Village, where construction of a water system is in progress, before visiting Chilimba Village where the Water system is fully functional.
Speaking after the site visits, the Minister said she was impressed with the systems that IA is installing, adding that “it is in line with President Chakwera’s directive that as a country. We focus on improved technologies such as the solar water pumping systems to provide clean and safe water to rural villages as a strategy to immeasurably change the livelihoods of communities across the country.
“At the highest level, clean water improves the health of the people, eradicates waterborne diseases and illnesses, enables more students to attend school and alleviates pressure on the women who are no longer required to travel significant distances to collect water from contaminated sources and can now use their time more effectively,” said Mia.
The Minister further asked more players in the Water sector to emulate Innovation Africa and support government in bringing these morden technologies to the rural areas so that Malawi meets its SDG6 is met.
Innovation Africa is a non-profit organisation with a mission to bring Israeli solar, water and agricultural technologies to rural African villages.
Since 2008, Innovation Africa has provided clean water and light to over 3.8 million people across 10 African countries including Malawi in Lilongwe and Mangochi districts where they have completed 120 solar and water projects changing the lives of nearly 700,000 Malawians.
In Mangochi alone, Innovation Africa is constructing solar powered water systems and supplying piped water to communities through 70 projects.
It has also trained 10 community members per village to operate and manage the systems and ensure its long-terms sustainability.
