Monze District Commissioner Cyprian Hamayanga has thanked the African Development Bank (ADB) and Government for coming to the aide of small scale livestock farmers by funding the building of water troughs for animals in Monze and Gwembe Districts under the Strengthening Climate Resilience in the Kafue Sub-basin (SCRiKA) empowerment Project.
And Gwembe District Commissioner Justus Phiri has called for timely implementation of the empowerment project so as to reduce the challenges faced by animals which are forced to move long distances in search of water during the dry season.
Gwembe District which initially was not part of the SCRiKA projects was recently included in this new section as a way of alleviating water challenges for animals in the District.
Speaking during a procurement consultative meeting held at Monze Council Chamber and attended by officials from Choma and Gwembe Mr Hamayanga thanked ADB for the gesture aimed at helping small scale livestock farmers in the two Districts.
He said the 29 (17 for Monze and 12 for Gwembe) drinking troughs will go a long way in solving the water problems for animals in the two Districts adding that all stakeholders should take keen interest in ensuring that the contractors do the right thing and avoid shoddy works.
Meanwhile Gwembe DC Justus Phiri said the projects are very essential to the two Districts adding that the experience of his District has been very sad as people are forced to share the same water sources with animals especially during the dry season.
He said Southern Province is generally a dry province and that it is worse with his District which is in the Valley.
Mr Phiri has since asked for timely implementation and handover of the projects so that both people and animals can start benefiting from them.
The meeting was attended by the two Council Secretaries, Benson Bweenje for Monze Town Council who is going to procure on behalf his counterpart from Gwembe Namukolo Kalufyanya, Monze District Administrative Officer Goretti Bbalo and implementation teams from the two Districts.
Should this even be NEWS? Common place social development activities that are expected.
This region requires a well designed rain water harvesting project. Those troughs might not meat the needs of the people because they lose water easily, they can possibly work in areas around Mazabuka. It’s easier to trap water in Gwembe and Munyumbwe areas, in fact most of the valley. When you drive on the botton road you’ll understand what I mean. The little rain that falls quickly runs off down hill taking with it top soils
When you have no development going on even a minor issue like this becomes big news. This is what happens when you have a government that is busy politicking day-in-day-out. It is like PF feels that thinking is for others, not them.
This is good news. We hope our brothers in the south take this positively and use it to their advantage. We hope they realise that hh propaganda is not true. Our government is here to help irrespective of who that region votes for. Southern province is in Zambia and hence under our control too. Kz
The province had at one time a number of water harvesting infrastructure/dams which due to poor management suffered silting to the point of being invaded with vegetation thus with recurring droughts their drying up and disappearing! Investment into removal of silting and restoration of the dams and restocking with livestock will serve meaningfully improved livelihoods!