Area 18 households should get K2mil compasation for sewage horror – Lawyers

Lawyers’ Forum for Human Rights has asked  Lilongwe Water Board and Lilongwe City Council (LCC) to give K2 million compensation to each of the Area 18 residential estate household as  compensation as they made to consume water contaminated with sewage.

Some  residents of Area 18 had sewage-filled water flowing from their taps, a development which was later confirmed and regretted by Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) chief executive officer (CEO) Alfonso Chikuni and the resident  are demanding compensation for those who were affected.

The lawyers forum has since given the board and council seven days to pay damages or face legal action.

Chancy Mwalubunju, chairperson for lawyers forum said they have not agreed with the affected residents on the amount of money they should get as compensation.

But he said from their “legal point of view” each household should get “around K2 million for the damages.”

The lawyers also what LWB and LCC to immediately provide relief and potable water to  the affected residents, permanently rectify the water situation, immediately conduct a wide invetsigative audit  of the whole LCC water and sewer areas.

They also demand that they should rehabilitate all broken sewer pipes.

Following the incident, Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) held a public inquiry in Lilongwe to get the views of different stakeholders including Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC), LWB, Lilongwe City Council (LCC) and the affected residents.

The LWB CEO attributed the existence of worn out and rusty water pipes , saying LWB is working on replacing the old pipes some of them which are over 50 years old.