The Water and Sanitation Association of Zambia (WASAZA) has launched a project to construct bio latrines at eight community schools in Mandevu constituency at a cost of US$288,000.

The project is being undertaken by funds which were provided by the Innovation Grant Program of the Millennium Challenge Account Zambia (MCA-Zambia).

Speaking at the project launch in Lusaka yesterday, Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection Minister Lloyd Kaziya, said the bio latrine project would help improve sanitation and hygiene standards at the eight selected schools which was a major challenge in most community schools.

“A large number of residential areas in Lusaka are unplanned settlements and have two major types of sanitation services, septic tanks and pit latrines which are mostly in a poor condition and therefore innovations such as this bio latrine project will help improve the hygiene standards in Chipata Compound and surrounding areas.” Kaziya said.

“I understand this is the second project that the Water and Sanitation Association of Zambia will be implementing with funding from the Millennium Challenge Account Zambia. In the first project, school children at two community schools in Chazanga, benefited from the bio latrines, while this second project is aimed at improving the lives of school children in eight community schools in Chipata compound and other compounds in Mandevu constituency.”

The Minister also commended WASAZA for exhibiting its professionalism and seriousness during the first project.

“Let me therefore applaud WASAZA for scooping a second grant from the Millennium Challenge Account Zambia (MCA) through a competitive process. This shows the professional manner and seriousness that WASAZA demonstrated during the first project that led to the award of the second grant that will lead to more schools benefiting from the project,” said Kaziya.

“This bio latrine project will help in improving the sanitation conditions in community schools and will also enhance the knowledge awareness of students, teachers, and their families, in the areas of sanitation and solid waste management through a simultaneous health and hygiene education process.”

Meanwhile MCA-Zambia Chief Executive Officer Pamela Kasese Bwalya said her department was committed to working with organizations such as WASAZA to promote innovations such as the bio latrine project which aimed at improving sanitation, water supply and solid waste management in vulnerable communities in the city.

She said MCA Zambia was also working towards improving water supply in Mandevu Constituency and had awarded a contract worth US$ 22 million to a Chinese contractor UNIK engineering to lay a water supply network in some townships in the area.

“The contractor will lay a total of 59 kilometers of water supply lines in Chipata Compound,SOS East and Ngombe townships and make 1200 household connections in Chipata Compound, while 32 kiosks will be constructed in Ngombe” said Bwalya.