Warning issued to Carlsberg and Chibuku over polluting water
Malawi Government through Lilongwe City Council has warned Carlsberg Malawi and Chibuku Products to guard against polluting effluent discharge into Nankhaka river in Lilongwe.
The warning is contained in a letter reference number LCA /H/INSP/1 dated 12 August, 2015.
According to the letter which has been signed by the actingLilongwe Council CEO Mr VPV Mulula, it is an offence to dump waste in the rivers.
In the letter, Carlssberg Malawi and Chibuku have been repeatedly warned that their behaviour is making water to become useless within the Nankhaka river.
“An analysis conducted on 8 April,2015 from wastewater points implied that there is non compliance of effluent from Carlsberg /Chibuku at Kanengo premises with Malawi standards for wastewater to be discharged onto the environment (MS691: 2005).
“You are therefore being urged to ensure that there is pre- treatment of the final effluent before discharging onto the environment in order to prevent pollution ,” read the letter which Nyasa Times has seen.
The samples which experts from Ministry of water used in tested were collected from Chibuku Product Limited Main effluent drain in Kanengo, Carlsberg Malawi main effluent drain at M1 road in Kanengo, Nankhaka River at Railway bridge, Nankhaka river upstream main effluent drain point and Nankhaka river downstream main effluent drain point.
Elements determined in the report were electrical conductivity, suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand, nitrate, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, power hydrogen ions and phosphate.
In the report which is contained in the dossier file Reference Number WQPCD 5/11 and signed by Deputy Director of water of water quality services in the ministry, Peaches Phiri, found that the power of ions (pH) values registered in wastewater samples under review ranged from 5.79 to 8.17 while the lowest pH was registered in effluent at Chibuku main drain whereas the highest effluent was registered at Calrsberg main effluent.
The report reveals that Biochemical Oxygen Demand(BOD5) and Chemical Oxyegen Demand (COD)Cr) values observed ranged from 0.4 to 5.2 mg/1, 8.8 to 96.0mg/1 and 27.4 to 326 mg /1 respectively.
Concluding the report, Phiri said: “Data generated from the wastewater points implied noncompliance of effluent from Chibuku company and Calrsberg. Malawi Limited at Kanengo premises with Malawi Standards for wastewater to be discharged on the environment.
“It is therefore recommended that there should be pre treating of final effluent before discharging onto the environment inorder to prevent pollution,”
However, in an email interview, Calrsberg Malawi PRO Towera Chirwa demanded a demanded a report before commenting on the matter but when reminded that the report is already with the compnay’s management, she did not grant a comment.
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So its not just kayelekera huh?
blantyre city council , wake up, it seems these two companies are polluting Nasolo in Blantyre.
Where is National Water Resources Authority? Ministry of Water Development and Irrigation just hoodwinked the nation and World Bank that they are creating the authority. For sure these things couldnt have been there
For the results given on BOD there quite Ok as I know the standard allows a discharge of not more than 20mg/litre the figures show that they are between 0.4mg/litre to 5.6mg/litre. This is quite below the standard( check MBS). The COD is what may be worrying. I rest my case
What Calsburg and Chibuku is doing is shaming the capital city.
In fact am not happy that these companies can be doing those activities at the expense of poor locals in Mgona and Senti by polluting the river which the locals have been using for long time.
Shame indeed
While i don’t condone our rivers being polluted,but Lilongwe city council are also hypocrites.They also pollute Lilongwe river with their stinky sewage at Kauma,while people and livestock who have no piped water drink from the same river.We don’t hv proper town planners in Malawi.They are no sites for dumping wastes.Bins can emptied on the middle of the road acting as the gravel for the road.We live in a country with questionable hygiene standards.Lilongwe city one of the dirtiest place on earth.Rubbish is all over.You wonder what is the use of city rates when the city cannot be cleaned.Remove your speck… Read more »