President Professor Peter Mutharika on Saturday said he is aware of the water challenges in Blantyre and assured that his Government is doing everything possible to solve the problem now.
According to the State of the National Address the he delivered on Saturday, Mutharika said government is determined to make Blantyre Water Board (BWB) to be able to supply sufficient water to all residents.
Reads part of the statement, “The BWB infrastructure is aged and has out-lived its designed capacity which has meant for a population of 500,000 residents up to the year 1999 and today BWB has over 1 million.
“Further due to inadequate rains in the year 2012/13, the Mudi Dam which produces 10 percent of the board’s water production dried up by October 2014.”
It adds that electricity which costs BWB about K279 million per month to pump water from Nkula, 40 kms away from the city has been another challenge.
“I would like to thank the residents of Blantyre for their understanding. We embarked on a total rehabilitation of the BWB production facilities and replacement of pumps at Walkers Ferry and Chileka pumping stations and by March 2015, the BWB will be able to meet all the demand of 96, 000 cubic meters per day up from the current 74, 000 cubic meters production capacity,” said Mutharika in the national address.
He said in additional government will construct a water supply system from Mulanje Mountain at the cost of about US$ 12 million to provide an extra 8,000 cubic meters of water per day to Blantyre and surrounding areas.
