WESNet’s board chair Kate Harawa said that the national budget allocates little funds to the WASH sector. Harawa made the remarks at the 10th Joint Sector Review (JSR) meeting which took place on 28th February 2018 at Crossroads hotel in Lilongwe, under the theme “Creating Suistanable and Resilient Malawi through Water Sanitation and Irrigation Developments”.
“In the years 2015/2016, only 1% of the government budget has been allocated to the sector and 0.4% goes to the district level sanitation offices. This has paralysed the effectiveness of the offices, Harawa cited.
The board chair has therefore lobbied for increased financing for the WASH sector from the government through the Principal Secretary (PS) for the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development (MoAIWD) Mr Nyandule Phiri.
“We would therefore like to lobby your office sir; for increased financing for the sector towards District Water Offices especially their ORT so that together we can achieve our common goal of seeing Malawi achieve the sustainable Developmental Goal number 6 (SDG6),” she requested.
According to the PS, Nyandule Phiri, the sanitation policy is currently in the review process and issues of financing the sector Will be among the addressed.
Harawa has however recommended government and partners like United Purpose and UNICEF for the progress in facilitating Open Defecation Free (ODF) communities which is also a crucial element of the sector. “Over 80 T/As in the country have been declared ODF in Malawi and this is a great achievement for the sector,” she narrated.
NATIONAL BUDGET PUMPING PEANUTS INTO THE WASH SECTOR
