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Inadequate funds affect water boards’ performance

 

Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development George Chaponda has admitted that inadequate funds are affecting the performance of water boards in Malawi.

Speaking during the 75th Meeting of the African Water Association in Lilongwe yesterday, the minister said solutions need to be found to end challenges in the water sector.

He said: “Demand for potable water mainly in our cities is growing every day and this is exerting pressure on the entire water supply system.

Chaponda being briefed on water services
Chaponda being briefed on water services

“Reflecting on the Malawi case and the entire Sadc [Southern Africa Development Community] region, this year has been one of the worst years in terms of water availability and supply mainly due to the drought that hit the country and the entire region.”

Chaponda said in the case of Malawi, Lake Malawi reached low levels this year and almost all the dams managed by the water boards were not filled to capacity up by the end of the rainy season.

“I am confident that this conference, which brings together water professionals from the policymakers, utility organisations, academia, researchers and suppliers will not only benefit Malawi as a host country, but also all participating African countries,” said Chaponda.

The cities of Blantyre and Lilongwe are currently experiencing acute water shortages.

Water Association of Malawi president Alfonso Chikuni, who is also Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) chief executive officer, said despite challenges, water boards are reaching out to more people than before.

However, he said the urban water supply in the country is affected by a number of challenges including accumulated water sales arrears, lack of investment financing for water supply improvement projects, aged infrastructure, non-revenue water [NRW] reduction, water production disruption arising from power outages and siltation, environmental degradation of catchment areas and the effects of climate change.

“Non-revenue water at an average of 35.62 percent still remains a headache to all the water boards. This high proportion of NRW is due to factors such as physical leakages in the distribution system due to ageing infrastructure and variations in pressure, unauthorised water use and inaccuracies in billing or meter reading,”  said Chikuni.

The theme for this year’s conference is Climate Change and Sustainable Water Supply. n

 

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