Water shortage hits Capital City as Lake Malawi project is doomed

Water shortage has hit some parts of the Capital City, Lilongwe forcing some residents to source water from unprotected water sources raising fears for an outbreak of wster borne diseases.

The areas hit most that have now gone for days without a drop of piped water include the high density areas of Area 25, 51 and 30.

Lilongwe Water Board assistant public relations officer Maurice Nkawihe has confirmed of the development, attributing this to what he called bio-organic materials in Lilongwe river.

He said engineers are working on the problem to ensure that the situation is back to normal as soon as possible.

Nkawihe said the board is supplying potable water through water bowsers in the affected areas.

The development comes after Nyasa Times reported on Wednesday September 4 2019 that a celebrated K400 billion Lilongwe-Salima Water Supply Project’s future still hangs in the dark as compensation claimants are now pressing for their money.

The ambitious project is to pump water from Lake Malawi in Salima to the dryland, the Capital City and other surrounding areas as lasting solution to persistent water shortages in the fast growing and expanding, Lilongwe.

Khato Civil Engineers were picked to implement the project, the signature development for President Peter Mutharika and his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration.

Meanwhile, several people have come forward, seeking compensation for their land which the government took for the project.

The project was supposed to kick off almost three years ago.

Former Minister of Finance, Goodall Gondwe is on record saying Cabinet already approved that the loan Lilongwe Water Board (LWB), the client in the project, obtains through Khato Civils would be guaranteed. Thus, he said there would be no need for a Loan Authorisation Bill in Parliament.

Gondwe added that government would agree with LWB on the amount to be borrowed with Treasury guarantee.

LWB and the contractor Khato Civil had signed the financing agreement with Trissag Espanola of South Africa, but Gondwe is on record as  saying that some of the terms in the contract were not concessionary.

The Salima-Lilongwe Water Supply Project,has been rocked by a series of controversies, including how the contractor was identified and it also faced resistance from environmentalists who demanded that the project should have an environmental impact assessment study before it takes off.

 

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