A call has gone out to government to demonstrate political will if most rural settings of the country are to access portable water. 

The plea comes amid concerns over inconsistencies which the country`s regional water boards go through especially when drilling boreholes in areas where they operate.

According to mover of the motion Dowa Central lawmaker Darlington Harawa, the responsible Ministry should start the process of reviewing such discriminatory practices and regulations which seem to punish poor communities unlike rich individuals.

“As a country we still have problems with water provisions because of the inconsistences within our laws so the motion was mainly to address such issues that are coming through.

“The situation on the ground is that we have waters service providers which are water boards and the law says that you can drill boreholes within the jurisdiction of water boards but you find that in the same areas rich people are able to drill boreholes for their domestic use,” he said.

Harawa said it is unfortunate to note that influential and rich individuals are allowed to drill bores for private use while denying larger communities from doing the same

“So, it means that we are denying poor people access to safe water so that’s what we are trying to say that we should have a relook at our laws that they should accommodate everyone regardless of economic status and geographical area where one comes from.

“We can say political will to some extent so we as politicians, elected leaders we should at least be in the forefront of making sure that access to safe is there for every Malawian citizen wherever they are,” said Harawa.

According to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), everyone on earth should have access to safe and affordable drinking water by 2030. While many people take clean drinking water and sanitation for granted, many others do not.