‘Kamuzu Dam I to reduce water woes’
Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) chief executive officer Godfrey Itaye says water supply challenges in Lilongwe will be history once renovation of Kamuzu Dam 1 is completed by end of next year.
He said this when Minister of Forestry and Natural Resources Nancy Tembo toured the water supply body’s offices and Kamuzu Dam 1 in Lilongwe last week.
Speaking after the event, Itaye said the dam is being extended to meet the growing demand of potable water in the city whose population is also growing.
Currently, the waterboard supplies water to 90 000 households and commercial areas, which represents 83 percent of the total demand.
Said Itaye: “Once the dam is completed, it is expected to hold 25 million cubic meters of water compared to the current five million cubic metres.”
He said the institution will spend $17.8 million (about K13.1 billion) to renovate the dam which is expected to be completed in November 2021.
“We will be working with government to ensure that the Diamphwe and Salima-Lilongwe water projects should come into operation to meet the demand of water by 2025,” Itaye said.
He said once the dam is completed, the institution will ensure that all the conservation measures are followed by making sure that more trees that do not absorb more water are planted.
In her remarks, the minister commended LWB for its efforts in providing potable water to Lilongwe City.
“I would also like to see the Diamphwe and Lilongwe Water projects commence operations,” said Tembo.
During the visit, the minister also challenged the water board staff to be innovative to ensure sustainable service delivery, assuring them that while she will not interfere with their daily operations, she expects optimum performance from them.
