Water taps dry at Malawi parliament: Crisis in toilets
Members of parliament on Tuesday told of horrible experiences they were undergoing at the magnifiscent parliament building in the capital Lilongwe where water had not been coming out of taps for two running days.
A male MP told deputy speaker Esther Mcheka Chilenje that it was embarrassing that cleaners waited at doors with water buckets as the legislators relieved themselves so that they could pour water into the toilet.
Dedza east MP Juliana Lunguzi said the situation was not good either at the female toilets.
“The situation seems to be really bad out there and we want an immediate action, through the Leader of the House and the Secretariat.
“Otherwise, you know with no water, you are at risk of so many water borne diseases and we do not want Members to be at risk. Can you please help us? The situation is bad. I am speaking in my capacity as the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Health Committee,” she said.
MP Alekeni Menyani wondered how the government would be able to provide water to ordinary Malawians if it failed to provide water to the parliamentarians.
Chilenje pleaded with the minister of Agriculture and Water George Chaponda to do something as a matter of urgency as the situation was getting out of hand.
Chaponda promised to look into the matter promptly.
He said officials from the Water Department might have relaxed in fixing the problem thinking the House was expected to rise last Friday not knowing there was a week long extension.
“The mishap was that they thought that Parliament would have risen on Friday, 8th July, 2016. They did not know much about the extension. So, I told them that throughout the extension water has to flow,” said Chaponda.
Just before the parliamentarians finished the Tuesday business, water was back at the parliament building to the joy of all legislators.
There are close to 300 people each day when parliament is seating including the 193 MPs, parliament staff, members’ aides, journalists, government officials and guests.
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But surely, our Head of State was getting the “new” degree for ensuring water and electricity supply???
Why has no one ever answered or faced the chop on the water problem? Lake Malawi with abundance of water is only 75 Kilometers away from Lilongwe and yet the taps runs dry. How about planting a water pipe along the road to Salima to convey water to the Capital is this something that we cannot do? you idiots sitting in parliament eating Malawi Taxes for nothing.
So MPs have water, what about me and other ordinary plebeians who have no water for the whole week?