Dowa District targets 90 percent water access by 2028

Dowa District Council has set a target of increasing access to safe water to 90 percent by 2028, saying achieving the goal will require stronger collaboration with Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) partners operating in the district.

To guide the process, the council has developed a District Systems Investment Plan (DSIP), a framework designed to operationalize key WASH priorities contained in the District Development Plan (DDP). The plan is also expected to contribute towards the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation.

Presenting the District Coordinating Team (DCT) progress report during a meeting held at the Boma, Water Development Officer Fanny Muula said access to water goes beyond WASH, noting that inadequate water supply affects education, healthcare and disease prevention.

“Without boreholes, girls drop out of school, clinics struggle to operate and the risk of cholera outbreaks increases,” said Muula.

She said the DSIP strengthens planning, implementation and monitoring of WASH interventions while aligning with Malawi 2063, particularly Enabler 5 on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, which seeks to improve public health and human development through enhanced service delivery.

According to Muula, the plan focuses on three key areas: rural water supply, sanitation and hygiene, and capacity building. These interventions are aimed at increasing access to safe and sustainable water sources in communities and institutions, while improving sanitation and hygiene practices at household and institutional levels.

“Behind every percentage point is a family that now drinks safe water, a schoolgirl who no longer misses classes because of poor sanitation, and a community empowered to sustain these gains,” she said.

However, she said implementation of the DSIP continues to face several challenges, including poor reporting by Area Mechanics and Water Monitoring Assistants, inadequate coordination of sanitation functions, limited research and human resources, the phasing out of some WASH projects, and geological formations in certain areas that affect water quality.

Muula said increasing human resource capacity, lobbying for more funding and attracting additional WASH partners, as well as improving data sharing among stakeholders, are some of the measures being pursued to address the challenges.

Organizations supporting government efforts in delivering WASH interventions in Dowa include Red Cross, Design Outreach, Orant Charities, Self Help Africa, Rhema, World Vision and Welthungerhilfe (WWH).