Blantyre Water Board (BWB) last month temporarily suspended water pumping from its Mudi Dam within the commercial city following concerns over pollution in the catchment area.
BWB spokesperson Evelyn Khonje confirmed on Tuesday that pumping from Mudi Dam was halted for two weeks as a precautionary measure to allow for comprehensive water quality testing and monitoring.
She said: “During the period, the board worked closely with relevant regulatory and government authorities to assess the situation and ensure that all water supplied to customers meets the required safety standards.”
During a visit to Mudi River yesterday, The Nation noted garbage being dumped within the dam’s catchment area and some of the waste ending up in the waterway.
Khonje said the board will continue engaging all stakeholders, including regulatory bodies and industry players to ensure sustainable protection of the Mudi catchment area.
Mudi Dam contributes about 10 percent to Blantyre’s water supply with the bulk coming from the Shire River Walker’s Ferry in Nkula and Likhubula in Mulanje Mountain through Nguludi in Chiradzulu.
BWB data indicates that silt and sediments have over the years reduced the Mudi Dam capacity from 45 000 cubic metres (45 million litres) per day to less than 9 000 cubic metres.
Efforts to get a comment from Blantyre City Council Health and Sanitation Department proved futile as officials declined to comment while council chief executive officer Costly Chanza yesterday said he needed more time to “check with colleagues”. However, he had not reverted by press time at 9pm last evening.
Commenting on the matter, water and sanitation expert Willies Mwandira said pollution in the Mudi Catchment Area poses health risks and increases the cost of water treatment.
He said: “When water sources are polluted, it becomes more expensive for the board to treat the water to make it safe for human consumption.”
Mwandira noted that the Malawi Environment Protection Authority (Mepa) has mandate to inspect and take action against companies discharging effluent into water bodies.
In an interview on Tuesday, Mepa director general Wilfred Kadewa said the authority has not received recent reports about effluent discharge into Mudi Catchment Area but indicated that the authority would conduct surveillance.
In 2024, Mepa imposed penalties worth K3 million each to four companies in Blantyre for alleged non-compliance with environmental standards in accordance with the Environment Management Act (2017).
The action followed a Nation on Sunday article which revealed that some companies were releasing toxic fumes which were choking residents while others let effluent flow into rivers, thereby polluting water.
