K3.1Bn Drought Response Plan Approved

During a press briefing on 14 July in Lusaka, Water Development and Sanitation Minister Collins Nzovu announced that the Government has approved a K3.1 billion drought response plan.

He explained the mechanics of the plan, “There is a design team on one side, there is an implementation team on the other side.” Included in the plan, is a step to drill several commercial boreholes and equip them with solar power supply.

He continued, “we are procuring consultants next week, so they do feasibility studies, they do designs and drawings, they do costings, to ensure that we have all these projects and inform how we are going to ensure there is water security in the country.”

Included in the plan is a focus of the construction and rehabilitation of dams, and the equipping of non-functional boreholes to maximise water retention capacity.

Accompanying the new response plan, are individual, local-level projects which will use the Constituency Development Fund, an approach which was described by Mr Nzovu as being because “we believe that supplying water to our people should be done, and done effectively”.

The government’s aim is to commission and complete the projects before the end of the year.