Barloworld Equipment Zambia in partnership with Village Water Zambia have completed the construction of the water scheme to provide safe and reliable water supply to the Zamtan community in Kitwe.
Barloworld Equipment Zambia partnered with residents of Zamtan community, Kitwe City Council and Village Water Zambia to provide the working water scheme, which is set to benefit close to 20,000 households and improve the community’s quality of life drastically.
Up until its construction, residents of Zamtan community have struggled with piped water provision and had to depend on shallow wells for water.
Barloworld Equipment Zambia Country Manager Adriaan Pretorius expressed appreciation for the opportunity to help fix problems in their areas of operation.
“We are really pleased that we have this opportunity to do something like this for the local communities in the areas that we operate in. I think the water facilities will go a long way in making a lot of people’s lives a lot easier and better than they were previously,” he said.
Mayor of Kitwe City, Christopher Kang’ombe said the water project is effectively and in a sustainable manner supplementing Government efforts to provide people with access to water in line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 6.
Elisha Ng’onomo, director of implementing partner Village Water Zambia, hailed the partnership for the positive impact that it would have for members of the community.
“I would like to thank Barloworld for this gesture. I think it is something that is positive to the communities especially in the area that was selected for the implementation of this system. It is something that Barloworld will be remembered for by the local community,” he said.
The Zamtan Water Scheme Supply Project is a social initiative informed by the need for improved access to water and sanitation as outlined in the Government of Zambia’s Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP) 2017-2021. Its goal is to improve the health and wellbeing of the people in Zamtan by increasing access to sustainable and equitable water supply via boreholes and hygiene education.
The project, which is expected to be officially handed over later in the year due to current global health concerns and guidelines on public gatherings due to the impact of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), was realised through Barloworld’s investment of K736,000 to establish a water distribution scheme to provide the Mwanalesa Community School and surrounding households within the Zamtan community with a reliable and consistent source of clean water.
