LWB to invest $280m in water supply project

Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) plans to invest $280 million (K114 billion) in a water supply project to arrest the ever increasing water shortages and stabilise supply to meet the demand of its customers.

LWB chief executive officer Alfonso Chikuni told Business News they have identified a new source of supply at Diamphwi River on the boundary of Dedza and Lilongwe where they plan to construct a plant.

“With the ever increasing population, we have embarked on a long-term project to ensure that we meet the demand. We are currently talking to our development partners on the funding. It will take up to five years to become operational, but once done it is a lasting solution,” he said.

Currently, the only source of water for LWB is Lilongwe River where the parastatal constructed plants at Kamuzu Dam which are serving the board’s thousands of customers.

Chikuni said as a short-term solution, the company has just built two huge tanks under the Airwing Project located at Malawi Defence Force Air wing premises at Njewa in Lilongwe.

“We have these two plans: reduction of non-revenue water and put in place some additional water production plants. We have commissioned a treatment plant that will see the volumes of water rise from the current 95 000 cubic metres a day to 125 000 cubic metres,” he said.

Chikuni said construction of the dams is a reaction from customers in Lilongwe who stay for days without water, a situation which has affected business, especially in farming.

He said with the completion of the Airwing Water Project, the problems of water pressure in some areas within Lilongwe will be solved.

Josia Mthawanji, an entrepreneur who runs a layers farm which has 50 000 chickens, has since commended LWB for the project.

“My business has been greatly affected by water shortages. We sometimes stay for five days without water. When water finally comes, the pressure is so low that I improvise by using my vehicles to fetch water from the river which is very costly,” he said.