Blantyre Water Board studies Italian utilities to improve water services

A seven-member delegation from the Blantyre Water Board is already in Italy studying water management and utility operations, as it seeks to improve service delivery, strengthen governance and raise the quality of water services in Malawi’s commercial capital.

The week-long technical and institutional study tour runs from Oct. 25 to Oct. 31.

The delegation is led by board Chairperson Stanley Chirwa and includes senior officials responsible for project implementation, auditing, technical services, monitoring and evaluation, and corporate planning.

The Italian consultancy firm ambiente S.r.l. is organizing the trip under the World Bank-funded Malawi Water and Sanitation Project-1.

The program focuses on water governance, quality management systems, treatment technologies and digital monitoring tools used by Italian utilities.

The board says the visit should help it introduce a Total Quality Management System, or TQMS, and prepare for future international quality certification.

The tour began in Rome, where delegates met officials from Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representatives of the consultancy and members of parliament.

The board says those discussions were aimed at strengthening accountability and clarifying the roles of boards, management teams and oversight institutions in delivering public services.

The program also includes training on ISO 9001:2026 quality management standards and integrated water resource management.

In Florence, the delegation will visit Publiacqua, which serves about 1.3 million people across 46 municipalities, and the Anconella Drinking Water Treatment Plant, which supplies about 600,000 residents.

Delegates expect to study treatment processes, water quality monitoring and plant management practices that could be adapted to conditions in Malawi.

In Prato, the focus shifts to wastewater treatment and reuse. Delegates will visit facilities operated by GIDA, including the Baciacavallo wastewater treatment plant, which has a capacity equal to the wastewater produced by about 900,000 people.

They will also examine the company’s reclaimed water system, which supplies treated wastewater to the textile industry and reduces demand for conventional water sources.

In Milan, board officials will look at digital operations, laboratory testing and network management at utilities including Gruppo CAP and MM S.p.A.

The delegation will also visit the Salazzurra Research Centre to study laboratory testing, water quality assurance, regulatory compliance and traceability systems.

The board says lessons from the tour will inform reforms aimed at improving governance, infrastructure planning, operational efficiency and service delivery.

The program ends Oct. 31 with a review of lessons learned and discussions of possible follow-up activities and future cooperation.

Under the contract, ambiente S.r.l. is covering accommodation, meals and local transportation in Italy. The board’s participants are responsible for international travel, visas and personal expenses.