Latest news with #Sumbe
Zawya
7 days ago
- Health
- Zawya
The Power of Water: How the Angola Institutional and Sustainability Support to Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Project is Transforming Lives
'Before this support, we had a lot of difficulties accessing water. We used to fetch it from the river. It was very distant for us, and we suffered from many diseases. But now, since we've had water available to everyone, cholera has decreased significantly, infections have decreased a lot, too, so I'm grateful for that'. These words from Clementina Artur, capture the real impact of the African Development Bank's transformative intervention in people's lives, with the Institutional and Sustainability Support to Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Project, which started in 2015 and will be completed at the end of 2025. When the African Development Bank's initiative reached these communities in Angola, it didn't merely install infrastructure – it transformed lives for the most vulnerable communities, leaving no one behind. Isabel Sambovana is also another success life story. Her life changed completely with the installation of a latrine in her community (Sumbe). 'Before having the latrine, I was forced to go to the grass behind the wall of my house. It was very painful because of my age. But now I have a bathroom, and it has made my life easier. With the latrine here in the yard, I don't need to move around. I have more dignity.' Before this installation, people in the community were forced to defecate in the open air, increasing diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, and malaria – but now with proper sanitation, women have regained their dignity and safety. Now, everything has changed. Most importantly, Isabel's latrine proved to be life changing. It spurred the community to self-build additional 301 latrines. A Project That Integrates and Complements Itself Like Life The project, set to conclude in December of 2025 after a decade of implementation, has delivered remarkable results: the seven utility companies supported by the project have made a total of more than 59,008 household water connections, reaching a total of more than 472,000 people. Seven utility companies have been legally established and received technical assistance to establish a strong financial management function, and engage the private sector in operation and maintenance; 179 women-run water kiosks set up in peri-urban areas are functioning; three new water quality laboratories were built in three different provinces (Cunene, Bengo and Sumbe); 11 coastal cities have developed their sanitation investment plans of which three have proceeded to investment stage and a further five have secured financial commitment, and master plans have been developed for the provincial capitals. A social and gender inclusion strategy and an action plan for the sector have been developed. An internship program was developed that helped some 60 young Angolans to learn and gain technical experience in project management, engineering, financial management, environment, social and other relevant areas. The numbers tell only part of the story. According to project task manager from African Development Bank Eskendir Alemseged: 'The project is transformative, tackling critical challenges related to institutional reform, infrastructure development, and improved service delivery across a broad geographic area in Angola. Through its comprehensive approach, the project not only provided access to clean water for an additional 472,000 people but also enhanced service delivery systems that positively impacted nearly 1.5 million individuals. This broad-scale intervention has laid the foundation for more resilient and equitable water and sanitation services across the country.' Women Empowered, Communities Transformed For women like Helena, the project has delivered more than water, sanitation and infrastructure – it has brought financial independence and empowerment. 'I started as an intern, and now I am responsible for the microbiology department. There are four of us women and two men, and the laboratory's job is to carry out physical, chemical and microbiological analyses of water. Apart from Sumbe, the laboratory supports some municipalities in Kwanza Sul, such as Gabela and Porto Amboim. This project has brought about a huge change in my life. Before, I was unemployed, but now I work in a fascinating area, where I gain more knowledge every day, and that is very rewarding,' she says. In the case of young Gilda Giza Rede, the journey starts today. In a group of 10 interns, she is the only girl working as an electromechanical maintenance technician at the Sumbe WWTP (Wastewater Treatment Plant). Just 20, she has high expectations for the role she holds and is eager to learn: 'This Sumbe WWTP project will help many families in terms of disease prevention and management of wastewater, it will help farmers get access to organic fertilizer,' she says. Water is life - and for the African Development Bank, these words are a meaningful insight into how to continue to move forward and improve the quality of Life for the People of Angola. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
Indian Express
26-06-2025
- Indian Express
Narmada: Police constable arrested for suspected cyber fraud, suspended
The Gujarat police may have earned laurels in busting cyber crime rackets but the Narmada district police was in for an unpleasant surprise when it discovered that a constable attached to the Rajpipla Cyber Crime police station has been accused of misusing official email ID to access unauthorized information about several bank accounts. The Narmada district police arrested constable Lakshman Chaudhary, who was attached to the Rajpipla Cyber Crime Police station since its inception in January 2024, on the charges of forgery and framing an incorrect electronic document, while also initiating a probe into his involvement in possible cyber frauds. An FIR was lodged against Chaudhary at Rajpipla police station late on Monday evening. Chaudhary, who has been suspended, is also facing a departmental probe. Narmada District Superintendent of Police, Prashant Sumbe, told The Indian Express on Thursday, 'We had received complaints of some improper functioning of the official mail address of the cyber crime branch. Therefore, I had ordered (Additional Superintendent of Police) Lokesh Yadav to conduct an inquiry… It was revealed that Lakshman Chaudhary, a constable of the district police attached to the Cyber Crime police station as computer operator, had sent unauthorised emails to banks seeking information about some accounts…' Sumbe added that as per the Information Technology Act, under cyber crime cases are booked and probed, the power to investigate cases and seek information from banks is vested with a police inspector. Sumbe said, 'According to the law, Chaudhary was not authorised to seek such information without permission from a police inspector…' 'We found that he has sent multiple emails to banks seeking information on freezing and unfreezing of some accounts, information on debit and credit transactions, details of account holders and other such sensitive financial details,' said Sumbe. Sumbe said that after the matter came to the fore, the district police lodged an FIR against Chaudhary with a police sub-inspector standing in as a complainant. 'We have proactively lodged the FIR and initiated a probe as to what was the motive for seeking such information and if he was involved in any actual cyber crime… It is a misconduct to begin with and needs to be examined if he had malafide intentions. We will also reach out to individuals, who may have been victimised, if any such information is received during the course of the probe and counsel the individuals to lodge FIRs,' Sumbe said. 'He was arrested and released on bail as per the provisions of law but he has been asked to cooperate in the investigation,' Sumbe added. Chaudhary has been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 201 (public servant, responsible for preparing or translating a document or electronic record, frames an incorrect document with the intent to cause injury), 336 (forgery), and 340 (using a forged document or electronic record as genuine).
