Malawi govt  urged to be decisive on Lilongwe water project: ‘Continue with Khato or find another  contractor’

Malawi government has been urged to be decisive on the K400 billion Lilongwe-Salima Water Supply Project project as the  contractor Khato Civils of Simbi Phiri is fet ti find a new financier for the project.

Lilongwe Water Board (LWB), the client in the project,  and the contractor Khato Civil had signed the financing agreement with Trissag Espanola of South Africa, but former  government through former Treasury Czar Gondwe Gondwe said  that some of the terms in the contract were not concessionary.

But according to report in the The Nation newspaper on Monday, a new financiaer has not been identified and the project continue to stall.

In its extended coverage, the newspaper used its editorial comment calling on government to make a move.

“Malawi government as a guarantor of the loan cannot continue to procrastinate on a crucial project  such as this one. It has to urgently decide whether it will continue with Khato Civil, who is struggling to find a financier, or find aother contractor,” reads the comment in part.

“The onus is on government to do the right thing and safeguard the future of the people of Lilongwe and surrounding  areas in as far as provision of water is concerned,” it continued.

The paper pointed out that water  crisis in Lilongwe will reach a crtitical situation in not so-distant future if nothing is done now.

The Salima-Lilongwe Water Supply Project, which seeks to pump water from Lake Malawi to Lilongwe and surrounding districts to ease water supply challenges, has been rocked by a series of controversies, including how the contractor was identified.

The project also faced resistance from environmentalists who demanded that the project should have an environmental impact assessment study before it takes off.