The Chipata Water Watch group has rubbished a letter from NWASCO, National Water and Sanitation Council dissolving the watch group.
Coordinator, Benson Phiri says that reasons given by NWASCO Director Kelvin Chitumbo for dissolving the Water Watch Group are not valid.
Speaking to Breeze News, Mr Phiri says that according to a Memorandum of Understanding MoU, signed between NWASCO and the Chipata Water Watch Group, the group still has mandate to work until December this year.
He indicated that he was not aware of the dissolution of the watch group because as coordinator he never received a letter from NWASCO but heard about the matter through the media.
And Mr. Phiri has accused Eastern Water and Sewerage Company management of influencing the decision by NWASCO to dissolve the watch group.
He says that he is aware that the management is unhappy for what he described the watch group’s decision to expose illegal dealings at the water company.
Mr Phiri pointed out the recruitment of people from Lusaka to be Data Collectors in Chipata for the Data Base Verification Exercise as one such issue which was mishandled.
He charged that the standard of services offered by Eastern Water and Sewerage Company have fallen adding that he does not understand how the water company managed to get third position in the awards of best performing water utilities in the country.
And efforts to get a comment from Eastern Water and Sewerage Company Managing Director, Lytone Kanowa proved futile by news time.