The Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) assistant public relations officer, Maurice Nkawihe said that the board is counting on the completion of the Lilongwe Water and Sanitation Project (LWSP), to meet the high demand for water supply in the Capital City.

Currently, the board is only able to supply 85% of 1 million households in the city, as the board expects the LWSP to complete in June 2023. Mkawihe outlined that LWSP The project scope consists of four components — water distribution network rehabilitation (expansion and non-revenue water reduction), sanitation improvements, technical assistance and institutional capacity strengthening. “This would in turn result in improved quality of services (hours of service and pressure) for about 250,000 people that currently receive intermittent services, without necessarily increasing the volume of water produced,” Mkawihe said.

Few weeks ago, Vice-President Saulos Chilima gave Blantyre Water Board (BWB) a 30-day ultimatum to resolve water supply challenges. As the Minister of Economic Planning and Development and Public Sector Reforms, Chilima ordered BWB to issue a press statement to promise Blantyre residents that water supply will stabilise by second October 2020.