Mutharika prides himself as President for development: Commissions K17bn water project in Mzimba
President Peter Mutharika on Tuesday inaugurated a K17 billion- Mzimba- Integrated- Urban -Water and Sanitation Project which was implemented by Northern Region Water Board (NRWB).
Speaking at Munjiri Community Day Secondary School Ground after commissioning the project, Mutharika said the newly inaugurated water supply system will address water challenges Mzimba Urban used to face.
The President described water as life, saying denying people water is as well as depriving them from living.
“I am pleased that from today, people of Mzimba Urban have their own reliable water supply system,” said Mutharika.
He then appealed to people in the district to take care of the water facility for it to last long by making efforts to protect the water source through conserving trees.
The President then thanked African Development Bank (ADB) for its financial contribution to the project.
He then pledged to implement various development projects in water, energy, transport and public works sectors to transform peoples’ lives in the district.
“I am not a politician but a development conscious leader, politics is for the opposition parties,” he said.
Earlier, ADB representative, Eyelusalem Fasika hailed President Mutharika and his government for implementing the project which she said would go a long way in improving lives of the benefiting communities.
Fasika then pledged ADB’s continued support to various development projects that have the capacity to address the plight of Malawians.
Also speaking at the function, Chief executive for NRWB, Titus Mtegha thanked government for sourcing funding for the project.
“This project is a relief to NRWB. The board’s old water supply system was unable to supply the required volume of water to meet the demand of the fast growing population,” said Mtegha.
The project’s works included upgrading water treatment plant, transmission and distribution pipe line, construction of four water reservoirs, two booster stations, a weir and construction of a dumping site for disposal of solid waste matter.
The project, which commenced in December 2015 and was officially launched by President Mutharika in 2017, is worth 22.8 USD (about K17 billion). It was financed by African Development Bank, Opec Fund for International Development and Malawi Government.
The scheme taps water from Mzimba River within Chikangawa Forest Reserve which is about 45km south of Mzimba Boma.
The project has increased water production capacity from 1500 cubic metres per day by the old water system to 12,000 cubic metres per day by the new water scheme to cater for 78, 000 people for urban and rural communities.
The first water supply system was instituted in 1950 then targeting a small population and as the population increased, the water system could not serve the current population and institutions in the district.
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