Malawi faces water targets headache

By Grace Makawa:

Inadequate financial resources and continued dependence on donor funding are among major challenges threatening Malawi’s efforts to improve access to water, sanitation and hygiene (Wash) services by 2030, WaterAid has indicated.

The challenges come at a time when the country is seeking to increase access to safe drinking water, improve sanitation facilities and promote proper hygiene practices as part of efforts to protect public health and improve people’s living conditions.

Speaking during a validation meeting of the Presidential Wash Compact in Lilongwe City, WaterAid National Water Compact Delivery Officer Lloyd Mtalimanja said although substantial resources were being channelled towards the water sector, there was a mismatch between the funds committed and the resources that actually reach communities for implementation of projects.

“Over-reliance on development partners is also a challenge,” Mtalimanja said.

He said the government needed to strengthen domestic financing to ensure sustainable implementation of Wash programmes.

Water and Environmental Sanitation Network (WESNET) Executive Director, Safari Mbewe said the commitments made by President Peter Mutharika through the Wash Compact should translate into concrete action.

“Improving access to Wash services requires deliberate investment and commitment from the government and other stakeholders rather than relying on promises and policy commitments alone,” Mbewe said.

The Presidential Wash Compact is intended to provide a framework for accelerating investment and improving service delivery in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector, with specific targets to be achieved by 2030.

Figures presented in the compact show that Malawi aims to increase access to basic drinking water from 73 percent to 85 percent by 2030.

Access to basic sanitation is expected to rise from 40 percent to 65 percent, while access to basic hygiene services is targeted to increase from 12 percent to 37 percent over the same period.

The compact also seeks to increase the proportion of the national budget allocated to the Wash sector from the current 1.2 percent to 5 percent by 2030.

Malawi’s efforts to achieve universal access to safe water and sanitation are also linked to Sustainable Development Goal Six (SDG 6), which calls for universal access to water and sanitation by 2030.