Limited Technical Capacities

In Malawi, local governments often lack the technical
capacity to properly supervise borehole drilling. Frontline
staff typically lack training in groundwater development,
leaving them unable to enforce standards. While drillers
are often blamed for poor-quality work, many operate
under unfair contracts that encourage cutting corners to
save money.

Compounding this further, access to locally specific
groundwater knowledge, standards and information
remains limited or unclear at the local level. The result is
a system where communities receive boreholes that fail
due to poor construction, leading to a loss of public trust
in safe water services. Fixing this requires training, fair
contracts, accountability mechanisms and access to clear
groundwater guidelines.

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