Siltation takes over 40% of Mudi Dam
Siltation caused by years of cultivation in the Mudi Dam catchment area has resulted in the dam losing 40 percent of its capacity, Blantyre Water Board supply manager Dalitso Godia has said.
Speaking during a visit to the dam on Friday, he said the farming activities in the catchment area have resulted in reduction of the dam’s capacity to act as a back up to the water supply system in the city.
Said Godia: “Initially, the dam was supposed to have a maximum capacity of 1.4 million cubic metres but due to the encroachment of the catchment area, the dam was occupied by silt which covers about 40 percent.”
He, however, said the situation is set to improve as the $150 million (about K260 billion) Malawi Water and Sanitation Project-1, which the board is implementing jointly with the Blantyre City Council, will rehabilitate Mudi Dam.
Blantyre Water Board energy efficient engineer Rose Galanje said the dam will also have solar power as a way of reducing water supply interruptions that are caused by power cuts.
