K535bn Salima-Lilongwe water project takes off

 Ministry of Water and Sanitation Principal Secretary Elias Chimulambe has said the $315 million (about K535 billion) Salima- Lilongwe Water Supply project has finally taken off the ground.

In an interview yesterday, he said the government has accessed   the K105 billion funding borrowed from local banks to start the project which is being implemented by Khato Civils.

“Yes, we have the money and we have started the project,” said Chimulambe. In a separate interview, Khato Civils spokesperson Daniel Mababa said the given the go-ahead to start mobilising and is currently in the process of recruiting some of the personnel needed and setting up camps.

He said there has been encouraging progress on paperwork and preparations for contractors to commence construction.

Said Mababa : “We commend the government , the Ministry of Finance and many other stakeholders for taking a leading role thus far. On our part as a contractor, ideally, we are underway or continuing where we stopped. We have been ready.

“Right now, we are in the crucial process of setting up campsites and recruiting engineers and other human resources for the project.”

But Mababa said he needed to consult on when the actual civil works will start.

The project was initiated in 2015.

The loan for the Salima-Lilongwe Water Supply Project was authorised by an Act of Parliament in April 2023 which allowed government to borrow K105 billion from local banks for the project. The K105 billion was at the time, government’s 30 percent investment in the project.

Government awarded the contract for the project to Khato Civils and South Zambezi joint venture.