Letuka Chafotsa
Mohale’s Hoek
THE Transformation Resource Centre (TRC) held World Water Day commemorations in Tšenekeng and Ha Letšaba villages in Ketane Constituency to bring attention to the water and sanitation needs of the areas.
The commemorations, which were held on Friday, have been observed globally every 22 March since 1993 following a United Nations General Assembly resolution.
They focus attention on the importance of fresh water and the need to promote sustainability for fresh water resources’ management. Each year, World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of freshwater. For 2015, the theme is “Water and Sustainable Development”.
TRC Programme manager and head of the organisation’s Social and Environmental Justice department, Lenka Thamae, said they decided to commemorate World Water Day in Tšenekeng and Ha Letšaba following a request from a community member to source toilets and install communal water taps for them.
“Since we do not give out donations to communities but advocate for the right to water and sanitation in Lesotho, we held the commemorations here so the communities’ voices can be heard by the relevant stakeholders such as government officials,” Mr Thamae said.
“The Tšenekeng and Ha Letšaba communities’ pleas for toilets and safe drinking water should be heard all over Lesotho and addressed since it is everyone’s right to access sufficient, safe and affordable water for personal and domestic use.”
He added that the TRC had done a similar initiative for the Katse Mapeleng and Marakabei communities by advocating for the provision of water and sanitation infrastructure through commemorating the World Water Day in the villages.
“Now that everyone knows that the villages of Tšenekeng and Ha Letšaba sorely need safe drinking water and toilets, we are hopeful that they will definitely get help, just like Katse and Marakabei villages which got assistance,” Mr Thamae said.
He also said the TRC was also on a campaign of promoting water as a human right which should be enshrined in Lesotho’s constitution.
Speaking at the same event, Mohale’s Hoek District Administrator, ‘Mantšiuoa Mosothoane, said the district’s community development committee already had a plan to assist the Tšenekeng and Ha Letšaba communities by installing water taps but was failing to do so timeously.
“Our development district community has a plan to help these communities but we are not able to fulfill the people’s needs on time because these areas are hard to access,” Ms Mosothoane said.
“But we are working very hard to deliver on our mandate.”
She added that they had to travel from Mohale’s Hoek to Mafeteng and then to Maseru before they could reach Mohales’ Hoek again due to the poor road network.
Ms Mosothoane, however, reassured the Tšenekeng and Ha Letšaba communities that water and sanitation infrastructure would soon be installed in their areas.