Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene 2014 Sept - Oct Vol. 9 No.5 | Page 7

NEWS in brief Around Africa McDonough told Thomson Reuters Foundation. The WFP has been feeding one million of those in need. “We are meeting with the government this week to determine how many of the 1.5 million new caseload will be supported by each of us,” McDonough said. The IFRC said it has been working on speeding up its response to early warning signs since the 2011 drought. “Responding to a disaster once it occurs is no longer good enough,” IFRC Secretary General Elhadj As Sy said in the statement. Malawi Mangochi Stands to Benefit from Wash Hygiene Organization for initiating an important project which would go a long way in improving people’s living standards. “On behalf of the council, I would like to thank the organization for considering Mangochi as one of the beneficiary for this important initiative which will help to reduce cases of cholera and other related waterborne diseases,’ Kadzokoya said. The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene project will be implemented in two Traditional Authorities of Mangochi namely, Traditional Authority Namavi and Traditional Authority Chowe. It will run for two years starting from 2014 - 2016. Nigeria World Water Week Applauds Nigeria on Showcasing Kashimbilla Dam On September 3, the Nigerian Government was applauded in Sweden for her efforts in constructing the multi-billion naira Kashimbilla Dam as one of the global strategies for connecting the nexus of food, water and energy. Makeshift toilet in Gwanda Mangochi stands to benefit from the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project courtesy of the Village Hygiene Organization which will facilitate the whole process in the district, Malawi News Agency (Mana) has learnt. Speaking recently in an interview with Mana Village Hygiene Organization Project Coordinator, Roy Khonyongwa said it is a high time Malawians had access to potable and clean water to avoid water borne diseases. He the initiative would attempt to construct latrines in schools and increase people’s access to safe and clean water within a short distance. “At least 360 latrines will be constructed for boys and girls in different schools which will be identified by the District Education Manager’s office in Mangochi,” Khonyongwa said. While speaking at the African Focus Day at the 24th Edition of the World Water Week in Stockholm - Sweden, the Minister of Water Resources, Sarah Reng Ochekpe said that the dam which cost the federal government $1 billion would generate about 30 megawatts of electricity to Benue and Taraba States. Sarah Ochekpe also noted that the project was undertaken by the Government as a preventive measure to cushion the likely eventual breakage of Lake Nyos in the Cameroon as well as for use in irrigation purposes. “The Kashimbilla / Gamovo Buffer Dam and Associated Structures in Taraba State of Nigeria is a multipurpose dam, principally designed to check the threat of the flood anticipated from the imminent break of the structurally weak volcanic Lake Nyos, situated upstream along the Cameroon line of volcanic activity. The Kashimbilla Dam Project is therefore a proactive preemptive response by the Government of Nigeria to the report of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) on the Khonyongwa added that the project is only targeting such public facilities like schools, considering that these places were usually susceptible to communicable diseases. “We’re deliberately taking the initiative to school in particular since this is where most of the girls and boys spend much of their time,” he said, adding that providing quality health services to such institutions through clean water and standard toilets was essential. Director of Planning and Developmental for Mangochi District Council, Ernest Kadzokoya thanked the Village Kashimbila-Dam-downstream-view-of-spillway-and-diversion-culverts Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • September - October 2014 Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • September - October 2014 7