SRWB to address water access in Liwonde Town

Southern Region Water Board (SRWB) says it will increase water supply in Liwonde, Machinga District to meet the growing demand for safe water in the town.

In an interview on Monday, SRWB spokesperson Rita Makwangwala said the board will, among others, install solar-powered boreholes.

She said the board has not been able to meet the growing demand of water because of limited supply capacity of its plant built in 2004.

“The population has doubled and our system cannot cope. The current plant can produce a maximum of 2 500 cubic metres per day which is little for customers’ requirement of 6 300 cubic metres per day,” said Makwangwala.

Liwonde is among the fastest growing centres in the Southern Region, according to the 2018 Population and Housing Census, which indicated a population of 35 000.

“In the short-term, the board drilled two solar-powered boreholes to assist in meeting the demand for safe water,” said Makwangwala.

However, she said the board is still implementing free water connections in the town.

Valisto Kalo from Chibwana Village in Liwonde said he was happy to be connected to safe water.

“In the past, I hear it was a challenge to be connected as it took long for the application to be accepted,” he said.

The solar-powered borehole has enabled the board to connect more consumers to its list.

Mercy Nguwo, another resident, asked the board to increase the coverage of water supply.

She said: “Liwonde is now a big town. There are many hospitality facilities as well as business enterprises that need water to run efficiently.

“We are grateful that the board is already putting plans in place to address the situation.”

The board supplies piped water to trading centres and towns in the Southern Region