 has announced their plans to expand water supply systems in all the districts of the northern region){kind=link}
Malawi: The Northern Region Water Board (NRWB) has announced their plans to expand water supply systems in all the districts of the northern region. Water supply is one of the biggest issues prevailing in many parts of Malawi with the drought season affecting the water supply negatively.
The officials have been working hard to ensure that water shortages do not affect the overall standard of living for the families. The NRWB Chief Executive Officer, Francis Munthali shared that the company wants to provide families access to safe water and improved sanitation and hygiene services by 2030.
One of the principal reasons for the shortage of water supply is faulty and obsolete infrastructure. The Northern Region Water Board is working to combat the Lack of top of the line pipelines and storage.
He claimed that the efforts fall in line with government’s vision of safety and health for the people of the country.
Munthali said, “At the moment, the Karonga Town Water Supply Project is at 92 percent completion. We had successful discussions with the European Investment Bank to improve water supply by addressing the issue of power reliability.
Further, CEO Northern Region Water Board announced that the bank will support the construction of required infrastructure and other aspects of the project through a fund allocation of 47 million Euros. The amount translates to approximately 90 billion Malawi Kwacha).
The CEO said, the organization will install solar plants in all our pumping stations in the northern region. Through this, the solar power can be used to operate the pump and ensure uninterrupted water supply.
“We also believe that the solar panels will reduce the cost of production. Hence they will be successful in making water available to customers at fair prices.”
“There is also a lot of demand for power, so if we use solar energy, then ESCOM can divert that power to others who need it,” Munthali explained.
CEO, Francis Munthali announced that NRWB will also raise the height of the dam at Lunyangwa in Mzuzu by 1.5 meters. The increase in capacity will allow the water board to produce more water for Mzuzu residents.
He added that they will upgrade the existing water treatment plant in Mzuzu Currently, the capacity stands at 21 million litres per day. However, with the upgrade, the storage capacity will increase by 9 Million Liters, reaching 30 million.
The new capacity will help the officials to cater to the increasing demand for water in the city.
“We will also increase storage facilities by adding 8 million liters to reach more people who reside in the city and outskirts of Mzuzu City,” said Munthali.
He believes that the efforts of the NRWB will drastically reduce the waterborne disease outbreaks in the country. The development is part of the Malawi 2063 agenda which advocates for facilitation of access to potable water for all.
NRWB has been working hard for the development of the various communities of Northern region. They have demonstrated their dedication through projects like the Nkhata Bay Town Water and Sanitation Project, Rumphi Water Supply Project and Mzuzu Water Supply Project.