Ginnery Corner water taps go dry
Most businesses around Ginnery Corner industrial area in Blantyre have been operating without running water since Tuesday morning following a fault near National Bank of Malawi (NBM) Chichiri Service Centre.
The problem resulted from a ruptured pipe that pumps water from Blantyre Water Board (BWB) reservoir at Mudi to the area.
Some of the affected companies include Leopard Match Limited, Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom), Fattani Offset Printers and several restaurants.
In an interview at the site, BWB public affairs officer Priscilla Mateyu said the underground 250mm asbestos cement (AC) pipe, which got broken, was being replaced and assured the affected clients that supply would be restored by Thursday morning.
Said Mateyu: “We are assuring our clients that as they report for duties tomorrow morning, supply of water would have been restored. Our engineers will work overnight until the problem is rectified.”
The problem came after the referral Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) stayed for three days without water, a scenario that put lives of patients, guardians and medical personnel at risk of contracting diseases due to poor sanitation.
A BWB 100mm pipe ruptured at the hospital on Sunday afternoon and water was only restored on Wednesday morning, according to Mateyu.
However, reflecting on the implications of water shortage at QECH, Mateyu said BWB had been providing them with water bowsers since Monday.
