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Abstract:
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The paper explores the role played by Malawian women in development of water resources. The paper argues that the Mang’anja, Ngoni, Yao and Lomwe women did inhabit a hostile environment. The paper further argues that the Colonial state intervened by sinking boreholes to convince African population for their benefits to be derived from the colonial government. However, the government and some agencies promoted the sinking of boreholes to supplement shallow wells during the postcolonial era mainly for social and political reasons. The paper then argues that women did actively participated in water developments by dominating in water committees and carrying out domestic duties during construction stages of water points. Finally, the paper argues that inadequate coverage of water points, lack of adherence to rules and regulations and water levels going down were problems women faced. However, benefits included improvement of health and living standards and empowerment of women. |