National Water Supply and Sanitation Council (NWASCO) and Lusaka Water Supply & Sanitation Company (LWSSC) have joined the rest of the world in commemorating World Water Day under the theme ‘Valuing water’.
NWASCO Director Kelvin Chitumbo said that all stakeholders must play their role in ensuring that the value of water is appreciated by beyond pricing.
Mr. Chitumbo further said this year’s World Water Day theme focuses on the important role that water plays in people’s everyday lives and the reason everyone should play a role in ensuring that the raw water sources are protected.
Water should not be valued from a pricing perspective only because it is one resource that cuts across all spheres of life and is therefore a unique resource that must be protected and well managed,
Mr. Chitambo.
He said that water is at the center of every country’s national development as it possesses economic, social and environmental value and it also plays a key role in fighting pandemics such as COVID-19.
Mr. Chitumbo has since called on all water and sanitation utilities and stakeholders to continue making efforts towards reducing the high levels of Non-Revenue Water.
Non-Revenue Water is the difference between the quantity of treated water distributed in the network and the quantity of water billed which continues to be a major challenge for the Water Supply and Sanitation Sector in the country,
Mr. Chitumbo.
And LWSSC Public Relations Officer Nshamba Muzungu said the theme speaks of the importance of valuing water to the extent of protecting the environment.
We need to protect the water sources. We need to ensure that we conserve water by reusing it, but also we need to ensure that we use water in a sustainable manner,
Mr. Muzungu.
Mr. Muzungu added that this year’s theme brings in issues of water beyond matters of the price and beyond its economic value.
This is a call for all consumers of water to be responsible users so as to protect our lives and those of future generations,
Mr. Muzungu.
World Water Day was introduced by the United Nations (UN) as an international day to highlight the importance of safe water and bring awareness to the world water crisis.